Headcount This week: List of “malicious Android apps” hits 10 million!
Moscow: By late January Fiscal 2014 Kaspersky Lab from its end had accumulated about 200,000 unique samples of mobile malware, up 34% from November Fiscal 2013 – two months earlier over 148,000 samples had been recorded.
Cyber-scammers are enduring to push their attention en route for Android mobiles: Taking a cue from the Official report that found its way in January to end up showcasing the amount of malicious Android apps rampantly on the loose out there topped the 10 million mark.
On January 30, 2014, the official Google Play market presented 1,103,104 applications. Alternatively, unofficial stores have many more – and these are more probable to be malicious. Kaspersky Lab has now logged 10 million dubious apps, as cybercriminals also use legitimate Android software to carry their malicious code.
In most cases malicious programs target the user’s financial information. This was the case, for instance, with the mobile version of Carberp Trojan that originated in Russia. It steals user credentials as they are sent to a bank server. As stated by Kaspersky Lab professionals, the bulk of malicious Android applications are at present developed in Russia.
To avoid malicious infection, users are advised to follow these expert recommendations, which reads in the order, viz:
• Do not activate the “developer mode” on the device
• Do not activate the “Install applications from third-party sources” option
• Only install applications from official channels
• When installing new apps, carefully study which rights they request
- Use protection software
