10 million Android phones infected by all-powerful auto-rooting apps
http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/07/virulent-auto-rooting-malware-takes-control-of-10-million-android-devices/
Researchers from security firm Check Point Software said the
malware installs more than 50,000 fraudulent apps each day,
displays 20 million malicious advertisements, and generates
more than $300 million per month in revenue. The success is
largely the result of the malware's ability to silently root a
large percentage of the phones it infects by exploiting
vulnerabilities that remain unfixed in older versions of
Android. The Check Point researchers have dubbed the malware
family "HummingBad," but researchers from mobile security
company Lookout say HummingBad is in fact Shedun, a family of
auto-rooting malware that came to light last November and had
already infected a large number of devices.
- - -
The problem of unpatched devices still in wide use -- millions, 10s of
millions, or more in some cases, is a pervasive and difficult one.
Ultimately -- and this goes for all tech firms -- the question is what
responsibility exists beyond the relatively few years typically
specified for device update "end of life" -- when in reality so many
persons keep using these devices much, much longer (for economic or
other reasons).
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
I have consulted to Google, but I am not currently
doing so -- my opinions expressed here are mine alone.
_______________________________________________
pfir mailing list
http://lists.pfir.org/mailman/listinfo/pfir
