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Open Android Marketplace Raises Concerns about Mal-Ware

Wired reports that the first malicious application for the Google Android Marketplace may have already appeared. There are reports that an application called MemoryUp results in erasing data on the phone and corrupting memory of the phone.

Doesnt work at all erased my phone numbers and froze my phone," allegedly wrote a user according to the Geek.com site.

The developer of the application, however, appears to be a long running developer and denies their app could be causing the problem:

The application's developers deny those claims. "We are very disturbed by these reports," says Robert Lee, chief technical associate for eMobiStudio. "Whatever damage is out there has not been done by our product."

Looking at the original report on Geek.com shows that the evidence that this was an intentionally malicious app to be quite flimsy (unverified app review comments only). The app has been pulled in the meanwhile as it gets sorted out.

Still, Google's unregulated Android marketplace makes them more vulnerable to these sort of concerns. In contrast, Apple tries to hold more control over their App Store and manually approves all applications that enter the App Store.

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Posted: 40 months ago
Hahahah!
Thanks to apple i dont have to worry about that.

I dont know how people actually believed on this phone and the marketplace.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
Posted: 40 months ago
maybe they should name it the:

Android Sat. Swap Meet at your local Drive In.

Instead of market place.

Seems more like that then apple's high end retail experience.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
Posted: 40 months ago
Is there malware available for jailbroken iphones? (no need to preach the gospel re: jailbreaking iphones) just wondering if malware has or has not appeared when not within the confines of the app store.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
Posted: 40 months ago

Is there malware available for jailbroken iphones? (no need to preach the gospel re: jailbreaking iphones) just wondering if malware has or has not appeared when not within the confines of the app store.


Yes, there is malware, but it is very rare because people that create these apps have no good place to make them available. It will be impossible to stop all malware, but the app store and other widely used services do a great job of not allowing malware to be accessed in their markets.
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Posted: 40 months ago
Have not heard of any malware on jb software(lots of unintentional bugs since you can release even beta software), though even in cydia/installer it's up to you to install repos that you trust, giving you a level of control.
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
Posted: 40 months ago

Have not heard of any malware on jb software(lots of unintentional bugs since you can release even beta software), though even in cydia/installer it's up to you to install repos that you trust, giving you a level of control.


I remember reading about a "trojan" and promptly posting about it on MR.

Here's the link to the thread: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=411971

I'm just glad that Apple has put some measures to keep malware out of the iPhone. Also love the "kill switch" feature to where they can automatically remove a malicious app from the phone.
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Posted: 40 months ago
And this is why I'm glad I have the app store that doesn't allow mal-ware lol. But on a serious note, wasn't this kind of expected considering anybody would be able to design applications for Android? I don't know, I kind of saw this one coming...
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Posted: 40 months ago
This was bound to happen. Let the FOSS nuts start spinning this as a triumph of openness!
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Posted: 40 months ago
Um...just like anything else, use your common sense when installing applications. Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and Symbian OS have all had open systems for years...symbian has even had a few trojans, though they've tried to implement ways to block those in the future.

The point is, it's going to happen to every system at some point. Just like installing an app on your computer, think before you do it, research what it does and who wrote it, and then decide if you need it.
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Posted: 40 months ago

“Doesn’t work at all erased my phone numbers and froze my phone," allegedly wrote a user according to the Geek.com site.

Whether or not this report is true, some people out there can manage to screw up their devices this bad no matter what app they're installing.
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