Android phone users have been struck by repackaged apps with malicious code injected inside. These clones of popular apps received over 50,000 downloads in only 4 days. The apps, which were all from a single publisher have since been removed. (Source: Android Police)
The bad news is that many users may have been exploited; the good news is the apps were quickly pulled when reported
Apple goes through apps with a fine-tooth comb. While it casts a blind eye to certain practices (data mining) it delights in playing moral police and banning apps which may be malicious or infringing on other's content (for example, reskins/repackages of popular apps). This has outraged many.
Google, by contrast, is much looser in app approvals. While it ostensibly screens for malicious apps, much of its screening is autonomous. As a result some developers have taken to grabbing images and code from a popular app, repackaging it, and republishing it for profit and glory. While this practice is rather disturbing from a developer perspective, more disturbing still is the malware that's sneaking into the Android Marketplace.
I. A BIG Trojan -- The Bad News
Android site Android Police has stumbled upon what appears to be a massive attack against the Android user-base, preying on Google's loose App screening. The attack was first noticed by Reddit user "lompolo" who writes that an Android app publisher by the name of "myournet" has taken "21 popular free apps from the market, injected root exploits into them and republished." The user notes that the apps recorded "50k-200k downloads combined in 4 days."
The apps appear to contain the "rageagainstthecage" exploit, which can be used to grant apps root access to the users' phone. To add insult to injury, another APK on the trojan grabs the user's product ID, model, partner (provider?), language, country, and userID. And the code offers support for downloading and executing future code.
The app was sending information, according to Android Police, to "http://184.105.245.17:8080/GMServer/GMServlet", a site IP which appears to be hosted in Fremont, CA.
At the end of the day over 50,000 Android users likely have had some of their information stolen and their phones compromised.
II. The Good News
Now, that's the bad news; here's the good news. After Android Police contacted Google, they removed the apps incredibly fast -- in under 5 minutes. No trace of the app remains in the app store.
From this response it's clear that there is hope for the security of Android, but it's reliant on community feedback. Where as Apple screens its own apps and is relatively unresponsive to requests and feedback, Google does little screening, but is ultra-responsive.
The other good news is that Google may be able to remove the offensive apps with its "remote kill switch". Google has already used this capability before to remove other Trojans.
Users should also be able manually remove the apps, though they may want to format their Android Phone to be on the safe side. To format your phone, go to Settings > Privacy > Restore Factory Settings (NOTE: You will want to back up your pictures, phone numbers, etc. first).
If you downloaded one of the following apps in the last couple weeks, you should format your phone:
- Falling Down
- Super Guitar Solo
- Super History Eraser
- Photo Editor
- Super Ringtone Maker
- Super Sex Positions
- Hot Sexy Videos
- Chess
- ????_Falldown
- Hilton Sex Sound
- Screaming Sexy Japanese Girls
- Falling Ball Dodge
- Scientific Calculator
- Dice Roller
- ????
- Advanced Currency Converter
- App Uninstaller
- ????_PewPew
- Funny Paint
- Spider Man
- ???
III. Conclusions
Ultimately, Google's model could be superior to Apple's, but it needs more alert users like "lompolo" and the Android Police to be so.
Developers also need to do a better job being alert for clones. The recent trojan attack not only cost users the loss of privacy, it cost Super Guitar Solo both business and reputation. If the developer had monitored its apps on a daily basis, it could have alerted Google far sooner.
There's good and bad with openness and Google's approach, as illustrated by this incident. The openness of Android is a "freedom", so to speak, and freedoms are seldom free. To some degree app store policing and openness are mutually exclusive. Android users' have received what they wished for -- now its their challenge to educate themselves, be aware, and make it work.
"Nowadays you can buy a CPU cheaper than the CPU fan." -- Unnamed AMD executive
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