James Delahunty
14 Dec 2011 1:53
Google purges apps that sent premium SMS messages with victims handsets.
Google has removed several cloned games uploaded by developer Logastrod that included malicious code. Logastrod used popular gaming titles in the attack, presenting them as free downloads from the Android Market.
In reality, when a user downloaded them to an Android device, they started sending SMS messages to premium line numbers, potentially costing the victim a lot of money.
The list of cloned games, according to Sophos, is as follows:
By the time that Google got rid of the malicious apps, it was too late for at least 10,000 users.
Still, when installing these apps, users should be more conscious of the permissions they are granting to them. Downloading a game that requires permission to send SMS messages should seem at least a little strange. Sophos also points out that it is too easy for developers to publish to the Android Market, and that the cost of becoming a developer and being banned by Google is far lower than the amount of money that can be earned from a successful attack.