Android Phone Tips And Tutorial

Android enthusiasts have long championed Google’s “open” philosophy towards the smartphone platform. The app in question, Android.Walkinwat, appears to be a free, pirated version of another app, “Walk and Text.” The real version is available for purchase in Google’s official Android Market for a low price ($1.54).

If you download the fake app (from unofficial markets for Android apps) and install it, it redirects you to the actual app on the Android marketplace — but in the background, it sends the following embarrassing message to your entire phonebook via SMS:

Hey,just downlaoded [sic] a pirated app off the internet, Walk and Text for Android. Whenever an app in clear violation of Google’s policies shows up in the Market — like, say, a piece of malware — Google’s Android engineers are often quick to quash it.

In order to install Amazon’s App Store on an Android device, you first must uncheck that permissions box. While there may be no immediate risks associated with downloading apps from Amazon’s App Store, it opens the door for users to allow other unofficial — and therefore riskier — apps to be installed on their devices, from other sources.

“Android users enabling sideloading doesn’t necessarily lead to piracy or installation of apps from unsafe sources,” says Alicia diVittorio, a spokesperson for Lookout Mobile Security. Essentially, there’s an inherent risk that comes with downloading apps for a device with an attitude of openness like the Android. 

With a slew of Android mobile devices streaming into the market, there is a lot of excitement around Google's Android OS and its market. Until recently the only way to access Android Market was to do so directly from an Android device using the Android market app on the device. But recently Google launched the Android Market website that allowed users to choose the apps and automatically download them to their Android devices over the air.

What the user has to do, is to go to the Android Market website  and sign in using his Google credentials and the application immediately retrieves information of Android devices registered in the person's name and also the data about market apps that have been already installed.

Sophos, a developer and vendor of security software and hardware, had recommended that Android Market's instant-download feature could open up Android devices to malicious downloads from attackers. There have been issues in the past with many malware apps being discovered in the Android market which were then banned by Google. Google doesn't minutely examine apps for approval and not only this, Android apps can also be obtained from a developer's website.

Once the app goes live, it is the Android market community which has the responsibility of flagging apps that do not abide by their policies. When an app is repeatedly flagged, it is being reviewed by Google and if it is found violating Google's policies, then it is banned. The app would present the new users with a limited list of banks that were complete with company logos. This led to suspicion about the app being a phishing app and was banned from Android Market.

A malware that was said to possess Botnet like capabilities, Geinimi was attached by hackers to legitimate apps like Monkey Jump 2, and the corrupted app was redistributed in the third-party Chinese Android app market. When users download the 'seemingly-legitimate' app the Trojan gets to work. Tap Snake, was a free gaming application available for the Android OS. Download apps only from trusted sources and avoid using third-party apps. Take into consideration, the developer of the particular app and check the ratings and user reviews. Also deploy a mobile security solution on devices to ensure that downloaded apps are not malicious.

The success of the Android platform is obvious from the number of applications, now over 300000, now available from the Android Market. Yesterday, we discovered a new malicious Android application which purports to be a non-existent version 1.3.7 of the application Walk and Text created by Incorporateapps. The application has been distributed on several forums and file sharing sites. 

By. Android Phone Tips