'Sophisticated' Android malware hits phones

[Maestro]

21 November 2014 Last updated at 11:59 GMT

'Sophisticated' Android malware hits phones

Hundreds of thousands of Android phones have been infected with malware that uses handsets to send spam and buy event tickets in bulk.

Mobile security firm Lookout said the virus, called NotCompatible, was the most sophisticated it had seen.

The cyberthieves behind it had recently rewritten its core code to make it harder to defeat, it said.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30143283

-- BBC 2014-11-21

[Tywais]

I have both Avast for Android and CM Security Antivirus but also more cautious with my choice of apps to install after getting over the 'let's try everything' phase.

[wooloomooloo]

Am I allowed to say iPhone?

[Tywais]

Am I allowed to say iPhone?

As long as I'm allowed to say fanboy.

But I understand your point and Google Play needs to model after the Apple store more with vetting the applications.

[VBF]

Thanks for the heads-up Maestro

[petedk]

A friend of mine claimed that his Line had been hacked and that the hacker was sending messages to all contacts offering them some kind of voucher to iTunes.

He even went to the police to report the hacking. Could this be the virus?

Somehow I doubt it, because he uses iPhone.

[wooloomooloo]

He even went to the police to report the hacking. Could this be the virus?

Somehow I doubt it, because he uses iPhone.

What did the police say?

[KittenKong]

Am I allowed to say iPhone?

Sure, if I can say "overpriced and over-hyped rubbish that obliges you to pay money to Apple for everything, and is frequently incompatible with industry-standard norms and formats".

Anyone who thinks that Apple products dont get targeted by malware is a dreamer, as mentioned in the BBC article linked to above:

"While Android had long been a target of malware makers, the appearance of the Wirelurker and Masque malware families that both targeted Apple gadgets showed the growing confidence of cybercriminals, he said."

[Chicog]

Am I allowed to say iPhone?

Not a lot of point. It's not like Apple have their s**t together is it?

[Chicog]

Given that this requires you to approve installations from drive-by websites, the simplest solution is to simply not enable installations from Unknown Sources, or disable it if you have it turned on.