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back to article Mobile Trojan mimics Android clean-up tool

Malware makers have released a Trojan version of an Android clean-up tool released by Google earlier this week. Google pushed a security update (kill switch) that purged the DroidDream Trojan from infected handsets last weekend. DroidDream found its way onto the official Android marketplace, typically under the guise of mobile …

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  1. david 63

    Confused

    ...

    Google pushed a security update (kill switch) that purged the DroidDream Trojan from infected handsets last weekend.

    ...

    That stopped further infections from spreading but failed to help eradicate the infection from already compromised handsets...

    As a soon to be Android owner, what am I missing here?

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    1. Gannet
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      RE: Confused

      I take it that the kill switch would have wiped the infected apps from handsets that had downloaded them from the official marketplace. And the Cleanup Tool is destined for those people who downloaded the infected apps from third-party sites?

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    2. Craig 8
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      > As a soon to be Android owner, what am I missing here?

      The original malware (downloaded from the legitimate Android Market) rooted the device, and was able to install other software from places other than the Android Market. Google can remove the original malware, but not any of the other software it may or may not have installed in the meantime.

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      1. david 63
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        Thumb Up

        Thanks peeps.

        I get it now.

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    3. Pavlov's obedient mutt
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      missing..

      As a soon to be Android owner, what am I missing here?...

      that you should rather get an iPhone 4

      we're back to the old Windows days (android) / 60's sex days and the consequences of both

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    4. pan2008
      Reply Icon

      it;s clear

      Get a blackberry, or a Windows phone or an iphone. Plenty of choices for all budgets.

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  2. Chas
    WTF?

    WTF?

    And people bitch about Apple's curated App store.

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    1. MrWibble
      Reply Icon
      Stop

      But...

      This malware isn't available in the market... Only from external sources.

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  3. LPF
    Thumb Down

    If this was iPhone

    The Inq would would be making this front page stickied news, but becuase its about Android , you barely hear a whisper!

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      @LPF

      Not really, there have been (and still are in non-updateable iOS devices) a number of serious vulnerabilities in iOS which also allow complete compromise of the device simply by visiting a malicious or compromised website - no need to install an App and ignore a warning about it not being checked or approved by Google.

      I'm sure you won't believe this, but they are well documented by security sites eg ISE - never a whisper in the mainstream media about it.

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  4. doperative

    Bgserv-A and compromised handsets

    > Bgserv-A lifts the IMEI and the phone number from compromised handsets, uploading this information to a remote hacker-controlled server ..

    Can Bgserv-A run on non-compromised handsets?

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  5. David 164

    confusing article.

    doperative

    I think so, what I got from the article is that Google release there back-door virus, design to seek out handsets with the rogue applications which contained the original malware and delete them.

    The hackers manage to keep a version of google purging software, which is suppose to be self deleting and reversed engineer it so that it can penetrate any Android device and instead of deleting software, it create a back door and share you phone numbers with a server and create a way for the hand sets to receive SMS messages and probably other Malware..

    That what I got from a difficult to understand article.

    I will have to go to other sources and see if this interpretation is right.

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