Android Users Are In Danger
Android users are in danger once again and this one looks more serious than it has ever been before. Security business Lookout have declared in a recent blog post that there are numerous applications that can simply install themselves and dig deep roots into your operating system. You definitely do not want these guys stuck into any of your devices, but this is not where the bad news ends.
Lookout stated that they did not spot any specific applications that can perform such tasks, but what they did discover were approximately 20,000 modified apps that have the exact code they need to get this business up and running. So this is pretty much what we are facing: 20,000 unknown apps that can make our Android experience a total nightmare. You would think that things could not get any worse.
Because these applications are written with “administrator permissions”, they do not work like your common day to day app when you want to delete them. Even if you choose a factory reset, the apps will still remain in your device, so you only have a few options if you want to get rid of them for good: reflash your OS, return your device to the manufacturer so they can reflash for you or you can change the device entirely.
These pesky applications are usually a mimic of the app that they are trying to impersonate: they have the same icon and the same name, but what gives them away is the fact that they do not appear to be running as swiftly as expected. What they are doing, in fact, is working on installing all the malware that they can as quickly as possible.
But there is some good news, too. As far as Lookout discovered, the rooting exploit tricks that these apps are using will only “infect” your device with more and more ads. However, there have yet to be discovered apps that could infect Android devices with viruses and potentially dangerous malware, thus it is best to stay safe and check your device if you suspect you caught one of these apps on the job.
Android users are in danger once again and we doubt that this is going to pass soon, especially because these issues have just been discovered. There might be some really dangerous apps out there, so we advise caution.
Photo Credits staticflickr.com
