Google Android malware alarm bells go a-ringing

The Android operating system for tablets as well as smartphones might be an open platform, and along with it comes its own set of pros and cons – where the latter would include malware. Just under a week saw Google remove more than a couple of dozen applications from the Android Market simply because they were infected with the malware known as “DroidDreamLight“. It seems that that bad dream is not over just yet, with the North Carolina State University triggering the latest alarm. 

It seems that a new malware known as “DroidKungFu” cannot be detected by mobile anti-virus software solutions at the moment, where the malware will go about installing a backdoor that will offer hackers full control of your handset. This means that all of your data will be exposed – and your handset can actually be transformed into a bot so that they can manipulate your handset to do as the hackers please.

It has been confirmed that those running on Android 2.2 Froyo and earlier versions have been infected by two known DroidKungFu infected applications, where they are mostly spread on Chinese forums and third party software markets. If you’re running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, fret not, since said version has more or less patched up the vulnerabilities exploited.

Edwin Kee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Android, Malware