Recent reports indicated that over three-fourths of Android devices are vulnerable to “hijacking” attacks, compromising devices, while giving illegitimate applications access to sensitive data. According to reports, the vulnerability usually affects Android 2.3, 4.0.3-4.0.4, 4.1.X, and 4.2.x.
What Does Vulnerability Mean?
Android vulnerability basically means that users think they are accessing legit apps with approved permission, unaware that they are exposed to malware and data theft instead. Thus, device users are urged to take advantage of diagnostic applications in order to check their devices for such threats. Reports also show that the majority of malware incidents come as Android apps disguises. The following are the top 5 most vulnerable Android apps.
- A – This app comes as Windows Media Player disguise. It attempts to send text messages that contain the “798657” string, sending to premium-rate numbers through the infected device’s present default SMS Center by exploiting the Permissions function. By analyzing further, however, the disguise fails to run successfully because of programming errors.
- A – Also known as Tap Snake disguise, this app is capable of sending an affected user’s GPS location through HTTP POST upon the acceptance of its end-user license agreement or EULA. When this app is used with GPS SPY, another known app, can give out a user’s GPS location even if the GPS SPY is not running on the device. Infected devices of this malware are likewise at high risks of security breaches, allowing a remote user listen to the affected user’s calls, while controlling the affected device through SMS.
- A – This app is known in the form of Trojanized apps that are typically hosted in a specific third-party app store. This is capable of opening many ports and connects to certain URLs in order to receive and employ commands through a remote user. The commands will then allow the remote user in gathering information as well as system properties of the affected device. Users with devices infected by this app are prone to becoming part of the so-called “mobile botnet”, users who can lose the installed applications on their mobile gadgets.
- A – Moreover, this app comes as a form of a Trojanized wallpaper app, which can gather information such as the International Mobile Equipment Identity or IMEI number and International Mobile Subscriber Identity or IMSI number from infected systems. The gathered information is then sent to a certain site. This app is also capable of downloading an updated copy of itself once executed.
- A – This app is similar to legitimate apps like “Falling Down”, and is capable of connecting to certain sites in order to send and receive information through a remote user. It can steal information such as IMEI numbers, IMSI numbers, and ClientInfo from infected devices. It can also download other malicious applications onto the affected device.
Conclusion
Overall, many users unsuspectingly download these apps from the Android Market or other third-party stores, and install them into their devices. It is important to understand that such malware, which target Android-based devices, might affect the users differently ranging from sending SMS without the user’s consent to the actual stealing of information and other sensitive data.
