Android is a malware cesspool -- and users don't care

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qriffin

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..Android smartphones (and tablets) are also among the least secure ones available,
thanks mainly to the Android Market being full of Trojan horses and other malware
masquerading as legitimate apps...

...What's scary about the Android Market being a malware cesspool is that there's not
much that can be done technologically about the problem. You can't really lock down
an Android device as you can BlackBerry OS or iOS. And the security mechanism that
Google has bulit in to Android is easily defeated -- by users, who happily give
malware apps the permission the Android OS makes them seek to access information
stored on the device as well as access to other apps on the device...

Because there are so many legitimate-seeming malware apps in the Android Market,
"Android is the No. 1 delivery mechanism for spyware and Trojans,"

http://www.infoworld...-dont-care-006?
 
qriffin said:
...What's scary about the Android Market being a malware cesspool is that there's not
much that can be done technologically about the problem. [/url]
Click to expand...
Well that's not completely true - Google could monitor their marketplace a bit better and remove these apps more aggressively.
 
I've had an android phone for almost a year now without a single virus/piece of malware etc.

Common sense goes a long way.
 
hawker said:
I've had an android phone for almost a year now without a single virus/piece of malware etc.

Common sense goes a long way.
Click to expand...

Its like Windows is a cesspool for viruses as well, just the normal Apple fanboy news, if you go read the articles on that site they rely heavily on sensationalism rather than facts.
 
hawker said:
I've had an android phone for almost a year now without a single virus/piece of malware etc.

Common sense goes a long way.
Click to expand...

Viruses? Malware? I've never had a problem... I think!

Sent from my GT-I9000 using MyBroadband Android App
 
Well they're out there - innocuous looking apps which use rootkits to install malware onto your phone. Of course they usually get removed when this is pointed out - so your average Android user won't suffer, unless he's downloading dozens of apps daily.
 
Synaesthesia said:
Well they're out there - innocuous looking apps which use rootkits to install malware onto your phone. Of course they usually get removed when this is pointed out - so your average Android user won't suffer, unless he's downloading dozens of apps daily.
Click to expand...

Same can be said for Jailbroken malware or even all software. Where there is computer there will be software that can cause problems. We been living in this virus world now for years, just some people like to pretend the crap does not exist on their systems.

Rooting an Android phone on a stock ROM is next to impossible as that require a reboot, and if you did not flash hboot your phone will just boot back unrooted.

What does Android do to protect the users from general malware
1. Google will remove software from the market and phones that installed it once reported.
2. Applications generate a security report on the market telling you what the application has access to before you even install it, read it.
3. User comments, use them, they a great help to see if applications work as described by the developer, if you unsure skip it.
4. If you really paranoid install AVG or Lookout anti-virus on your phone (You dont need it unless your rooted and install all kinds of crap on your device)
 
Common sense. Install an app like Lookout or another anti-virus app if you want security.
Easy enough to check ratings before downloading an app.

It's mostly people that pirate apps and carelessly download crap that suffer. Just like with Windows, but not nearly as common.
 
OMG! My Desire has been a constant headache for 14 months, what with constant security breaches, my gmail getting hacked, sending mass SMSs to my whole contact list, connecting to random websites and I don't know what all!!11!11111!1!!!eleventy!!11

Oh... no, wait. It hasn't.
 
A community service message paid for by those wonderful folks at apple.

Eating gingerbread off my Galaxy S, baked by Darky.
 
With all this malware in Android Market, has there been ANY proof of users being affected? I see all these blog posts about malware but see no affected users ever being mentioned, whats up with that?

Ive installed AVG and Lookout only to delete them as i simply havent encountered any malcious apps.
 
Sure people have been infected. But many may not even know. It's obviously only affecting a small amount of people but it's something to watch out for.
 
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