Security Response

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,...

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...

Threats making or transmitting unauthorized audio recordings are not a new concept, though they have largely been limited to proof-of-concept demonstrations and final-year university projects. This is a vector that generates a lot of intrigue from researchers, as it pertains to many facets in security, such as data loss prevention and mobile threats, not to mention the changing face of the threat landscape. It is also something we have blogged about previously. Thus, when we received several inquiries about an Android threat we discovered over a week ago, and its ability to upload recorded voice conversations to a remote sever, I decided to take a second look at the threat Android.Nickispy.

This app was available on...

Android.Lightdd (the name is derived from the presence of the additional Trojanized package ending in the word ‘lightdd’) has been dubbed as the follow up to Android.Rootcager AKA Droid Dreams, one of the first threats seen in the wild that attempted to use an exploit to root an Android device. Although the original reports on the discovery of the threat called out five accounts, Symantec has found additional publisher accounts under which apps were repackaged (at the current time all of these account  have been disabled).

The key point to note is that even though the news of the return of ‘Droid Dreams’ has created a bit of a stir with approximate high download rates being quoted...