Security Response

Symantec has identified multiple publisher IDs on the Android Market that are being used to push out Android.Counterclank. This is a minor modification of Android.Tonclank, a bot-like threat that can receive commands to carry out certain actions, as well as steal information from the device.

For each of these malicious applications, the malicious code has been grafted on to the main application in a package called “apperhand”. When the package is executed, a service with the same name may be seen running on a compromised device. Another sign of an infection is the presence of the Search icon above on the home screen.

The combined download figures of all the malicious apps indicate that Android....

2011 has seen some dramatic changes in the mobile landscape, with the ever-increasing growth rates in consumer adoption of smart phones. This has not gone on without getting the attention of the criminal fraternity, which has turned its attention to mobile malware. But what remains to be seen is if this trend moves beyond the stage of testing the waters to actually making a significant impact, reaching the scales we associate with threats for Windows. If the activities of the past week are any indicator, then 2012 is off to an interesting start. Another scam has come to our attention, this time targeting Android users in France, attempting to exploit the frenzy surrounding Carrier IQ.

From our analysis, Android.Qicsomos is a modified version of an open source project meant to detect Carrier IQ on a device, with additional code to dial a premium SMS number. On installation,...

Hacktisivm, or as one blogger put it “Revolution 2.0”, is something I would describe as an activist agenda where there may be no visible monetary gain by the instigator. Instead the overall goal is to send a message or get a point across. Even though, on occasion, the message may be something many will sympathize with, this doesn’t mean it’s a victimless crime. In many cases, the cost of getting an agenda across may involve using resources (even people without consent).  An example of this emerged over the past weekend. For many across the Arab world, December 18, 2010, marked the birth of what is now come to be commonly known as “The Arab Spring”. Among the many online tools that are being used to coordinate, inform, and get the word out about protests, Symantec has discovered a Trojan mass-mailer/downloader embedded in an Android App.

The Trojan was...

Contributors: Shunichi Imano

October 2011 marks the eighth annual “National Cyber Security Awareness Month” to be held in the United States. One highly visible concern that makes this year different from previous years is the triple-digit growth rates that are being reported across the board by every antivirus vendor when it comes to threats discovered that target mobile devices. Although the main points made in these reports remain largely the same, it is clear that mobile malware has not only come of age, but that the growth rate has been unprecedented. An underlying message comes across loud and clear: indisputably, everyone agrees that criminals targeting mobile devices have become a force that is here to stay, becoming as ubiquitous as the devices/platforms themselves.

But just when you think you have seen it all, along comes another twist, demonstrating that there is no shortage of ideas when it comes to social engineering. Because of the so...