Open Android Marketplace Raises Concerns about Mal-Ware - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Open Android Marketplace Raises Concerns about Mal-Ware

by

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.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

11 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 18 Pro

Monday May 11, 2026 9:01 am PDT by
We're only four months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a sea change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.5 Features: Everything New in iOS 26.5

Monday May 11, 2026 5:09 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26.5 after a few months of beta testing, and while it doesn't have the Siri features we were hoping for since those are being held until iOS 27, there are a handful of useful changes worth knowing about. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. End-to-End Encryption for RCS Support for end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and...
General Apps Reddit Feature

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead

Monday May 11, 2026 6:10 am PDT by
Social network Reddit recently began blocking mobile visitors to its website while pushing them to download the official Reddit app, and it's fair to say that the move is not going down well with users. If you visit reddit.com on your iPhone today, you may see a new popup that can't be dismissed, asking you to "get the app to keep using Reddit." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars Technica...