Sorry, I couldn’t resist borrowing from That Mitchell And Webb Look for the headline for this blog post, but that’s because I’m addicted to Mitchell and Webb. Anyway, on to the important stuff: according to Kaspersky Labs, an SMS Trojan virus has appeared for Android, and it sounds as if it’s quite a nasty one, so consider this post as something of a Public Service Announcement.
Apparently what we have here is malware going by the name of Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a, and what it does is, basically, send out text messages to a premium rate number, thus allowing the malware creators to slowly siphon money from your phone. But, fortunately, it’s very easy to avoid infection.
The way to avoid it is simplicity itself, and it’s something that you really should do on any smartphone or computer you use, and if you’re not doing it, then you don’t deserve to be able to use them. The way to avoid it, as the astute among you may have guessed, is to not be a complete tool. You have to actually install an app for the FakePlayer virus to get hold of your phone, so avoiding it is simply a case of actually paying attention to what you’re doing with your phone.
Anyway, so you know what to avoid, Kaspersky Labs describe it thusly:
“The new malicious program penetrates smartphones running Android in the guise of a harmless media player application. Users are prompted to install a file of just over 13 KB with the standard Android extension .APK. Once installed on the phone, the Trojan uses the system to begin sending SMSs to premium rate numbers without the owner’s knowledge or consent, resulting in money passing from a user’s account to that of the cybercriminals.”
And yes, Kaspersky say the best way to avoid infection is be vigilant. Put simply, as I said earlier, don’t be a tool. Don’t just click yes on anything that wants to install. Actually pay attention to what you’re doing, then whether you have a Samsung Galaxy S, or an HTC Desire, or any of the range of Android phones out there, and you’ll be fine.
More news as it happens! And be sure to subscribe now to get all the latest action from the world of mobile phones!
– by Gadget
Hmm, now here’s an interesting story, from the pages of The Register. A German ‘global knowledge provider’, GfK Retail and Technology, has released a report about the market shares of various smartphone platforms over here in Blighty, and apparently, the humble (or not so humble) smartphone now accounts for two thirds of the UK market, even though overall contract-sales growth basically didn’t grow, with a mere 1% overall growth in sales from Q1 to Q2.
Y’know, it’s often said that most major technological advances happen during war-time, or otherwise have a military origin, before filtering down to the general public to use in everyday life. Want an example? Well, how about the internet itself, since that started life as the ARPAnet. Or how about nuclear power, that came after Oppenheimer and his dudes made the first atom bombs?
