Tag: mobile security

Mobile security worm threat targets Android devices

| July 2, 2014

The Selfmite malware has been spreading its way through smartphones by way of links in text messages.

A new mobile security threat in the form of the Selfmite Android malware has been making the rounds through a malicious link that is being distributed by way of text messages to the contacts on the device user’s list.

This link leads to a rare Android worm that has now been discovered by security researchers.

By the time this Selfmite mobile security threat is installed onto a device, this malware texts 20 contacts from the address book of the smartphone owner. This is a different type of threat from what is usually seen over Android devices, as the majority of those problems are in the form of Trojan apps that do not have their own mechanisms for self propagation. Instead, they are distributed to smartphone and tablet users by way of non-official app stores.

This new mobile security problem is the second threat of this nature that has been discovered in the last 2 months.

This may suggest that the number of malware attacks in the form of worms could be on the rise into the future. The text message that is sent by the Selfmite worm contains the name of the contact, so that it says “Dear [Contact’s Name], Look the Self-time,” and is followed by a URL that has been goo.gl shortened.Mobile security worm threat

This infected link directs the user to an APK file that is called “TheSelfTimerV1.apk”. This Android application file is hosted on a remote server, according to the AdaptiveMobile security firm researchers who identified the threat. If the user chooses to install this APK, then “The self-timer” is placed into the app list.

From that point, it not only spreads itself to 20 contacts through texts from that device, but it also attempts to encourage that device’s user to download and install another file, which is called mobogenie_122141003.apk through their mobile browser.

That is actually a legitimate app called Mobogenie, which gives Android users the chance to synch their devices with their PCs so that they can download applications form an alternative app store. That application has already received over 50 million downloads from Google Play but is heavily promoted through affiliate marketing strategies, which can incentivize fraudulent distribution by unethical individuals willing to use mobile security threats to try to make money.

Mobile security report shows equal vulnerability between Android and Apple

| June 26, 2014

Marble Security has released its June threat report and found that the chances of attack are the same.

The latest mobile security report from Marble has revealed that the odds of experiencing a malicious software attack on either an iOS or Android based smartphone are equally high.

This goes against previous research that has indicated that iOS provides greater safety as a platform.

This mobile security data could come as quite a surprise to iPhone or iPad owners who had been under the impression that they were safe from the risk of malicious software and malware. The Marble research found that these two types of device have an equal vulnerability from those types of attack.

This mobile security research result jars with the long held belief that Apple devices are safer.

In the case of computers, Apple machines traditionally had a much lower instance of spam, malware, and other types of harmful software than PCs. That same feeling has migrated into the mobile sphere as smartphones have achieved greater penetration. However, the research from the Marble Labs analysis has shown that they aren’t any more or less safe than their Android counterparts.Mobile Security Problems

The study looked into the top 14 forms of smartphone security threats. In them, both platforms proved to be equally risky – and the risk wasn’t low. At the same time, the balance of the exposures were different between the two platforms. Though they are equally at risk of threats, the threats for each type of platform are not the same.

The firm also conducted an analysis of 1.2 million Android and iOS apps and published the results in its report. What it found was that news and gaming applications in iOS are the top security risks among any form of category for iPhones and iPads.

According to David Jevans, the CTO and founder of Marble Security, it is important for enterprise security managers to understand the mobile security threat over Apple devices. He pointed out that the electronics giant’s “vaunted iOS mobile security reputation hinges on its app distribution control, not on any inherent superiority of its operating system.”