SRL Archive - The Bashing Club / BBQ Pit

source

According to Denis Maslennikov, Senior Malware Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, there's not an exact number of infected devices available at present, but the outbreak is currently regional. For now, only Russian Android users can actually lose money after installing the Trojan, but anyone can be infected.

Popularity has come into play. Welcome to the Windows of smartphones :cool:

;D Hell yeah!

damn, and here I thought they were impenetrable.

From: Nava2
damn, and here I thought they were impenetrable.

It only requires ignorance of the user, just like Windows.

luckily this virus only sent SMS messages. im just waiting for a virus that bricks the phone somehow (like a bricked PSP)

From: noidea
It only requires ignorance of the user, just like Windows.

No, it does not. You don't _get_ admin permissions on android except for very specific features.

From: x[Warrior]x3500
luckily this virus only sent SMS messages. im just waiting for a virus that bricks the phone somehow (like a bricked PSP)

Why would the virus kill itself?

From: Wizzup?
Why would the virus kill itself?

I agree that would be very dumb, but you could have it brick itself only after it has infected X amount of platforms.

But even then, that begs the question. Would you have been better off having it infect more? And secondly, when your phone suddenly gets bricked that throws off alarm signals. You would probably want your virus to go undetected as long as possible.

From: Capricorn
I agree that would be very dumb, but you could have it brick itself only after it has infected X amount of platforms.

But even then, that begs the question. Would you have been better off having it infect more? And secondly, when your phone suddenly gets bricked that throws off alarm signals. You would probably want your virus to go undetected as long as possible.

And that is the beauty of viruses :)
You'd have to make one that infects and spreads over a long time, but give it code to execute on a certain day and brick them all.
Making them virulent and damaging has such a fine line… :(

From: Wizzup?
No, it does not. You don't _get_ admin permissions on android except for very specific features.

A virus isnt just something that deletes everything off your system…
This virus sends SMS messages. This application/virus is installed not through the market, but through an application manager or package manager such as Astro. When you install something, it asks you if you approve that it needs xyz permissions, >99% of users do not look at the permission requirements. They hit next and it installs.

The application can then do its thing, although Android does notify you when you send more than x SMS messages in y time.

This certainly sounds like a Windows situation to me. There are enough idiots that will ignore the permission notification.

From: noidea
A virus isnt just something that deletes everything off your system…
This virus sends SMS messages. This application/virus is installed not through the market, but through an application manager or package manager such as Astro. When you install something, it asks you if you approve that it needs xyz permissions, >99% of users do not look at the permission requirements. They hit next and it installs.

The application can then do its thing, although Android does notify you when you send more than x SMS messages in y time.

This certainly sounds like a Windows situation to me. There are enough idiots that will ignore the permission notification.

1) Windows does not have a package manager. Software comes from untrusted sources.
2) What the hell is a virus doing in the applications repository? Applications in the repository are supposed to be safe. Is the application closed source?

Virus? No, malicious application? Yes.

From: Wizzup?

2) What the hell is a virus doing in the applications repository? Applications in the repository are supposed to be safe. Is the application closed source?

No :duh: This isnt in the market or repo. In Android you can obtain a .apk from an untrusted source and install through an application installer. Not the market, but a file manger, such as Astro, can install things with a .apk

From: IceFire908
Virus? No, malicious application? Yes.

So yes, a virus. Anything malicious can be called a virus.

From: noidea
No :duh: This isnt in the market or repo. In Android you can obtain a .apk from an untrusted source and install through an application installer. Not the market, but a file manger, such as Astro, can install things with a .apk

So yes, a virus. Anything malicious can be called a virus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_virus

A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself[1] and infect a computer. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, including but not limited to adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive.[2]

Then it is a matter of opinion calling it a virus, since it does not replicate itself and infect, rather it's primarily the user's fault for allowing untrusted software access, especially in an open source environment (much unlike winblows <— horrible comparison you made there btw), anyways any technological medium is subject to malicious programs "viruses?" therefor I see no reason why the android OS is being singled out.

From: noidea
No :duh: This isnt in the market or repo. In Android you can obtain a .apk from an untrusted source and install through an application installer. Not the market, but a file manger, such as Astro, can install things with a .apk

Then it is indeed the fault of the user. Even though I expected Android not to give this feature if they want to be on the safe side. Only install apps from the app manage = safe. External sources != safe.

From: Wizzup?
Then it is indeed the fault of the user. Even though I expected Android not to give this feature if they want to be on the safe side. Only install apps from the app manage = safe. External sources != safe.

Yes, but as usual (not meant in a mean way) you generalize everyone as someone like you, who understands the system entirely. People who buy the product would assume that android would not let files into their phone which could do malicious things. Hell, many people (most?) wouldn't even know that there are viruses for phones. The general public is dumb with technology, you are not. This is something to remember next time there is a thread about phones XD

Or any technology, to be honest.

Anyway, Wizzup?, if it were only from an "app store" that apps could be downloaded from, it would be quite similar to Apple's app store, which, as we all know, is a terribly dictated place.

Personally, I think that the people who would be downloading .apk files will generally know a small amount about what they're doing. I don't think this is that big of a deal.

It's not just the android… The iphone got/has a virus too. :)

Most people only search on android market for apps….

Vetted/approved open/closed source marketplaces/stores are a false sense of a security, as they are impossible to 100% guarantee. Bottom line is everything you install is a risk. I've been telling my customers that hardware failure and software corruption is just a matter of time, and to continue to try to prevent it, but more importantly be prepared when it happens anyway.

Goes to show linux based OSes have the capacity to be infected with a virus like any other system. It's safe to say that the virus would only be able to brick a phone on the OS level, because to enable the root user on the android OS requires an external debugging console. It's very possible for the IPHONE to be completely screwed though, because http://www.jailbreakme.com/ shows the ability to delete and rewrite parts of the IOS through pdf? files.

yea, the iphone virus was actually a problem. This, to me seems like the user's fault, even though i probably would stop looking at permissions too closely too after installing so many applications.