We all love our games, but buyer beware. An Android Trojan has been discovered in some Chinese games.
”Geinimi” not only steals personal data from the phone, but even has some Botnet like command and control features:
Geinimi is also capable of receiving commands from remote servers controlled by hackers, this botnet-style functionality together with the use of code obfuscation techniques leads mobile security firm Lookout to describe the malware as the most sophisticated to appear on Android devices to date.
According to Lookout Mobile Security, when Geinimi is installed it:
- Collects location coordinates & device identifiers from the phone
- Collects a list of installed Apps
- Connects to a remote server at 5 minute intervals to transfer information
- Can download apps it chooses
- Prompts user to remove apps it doesn’t want on the phone
According to reports, Chinese and even Russian Trojans like Geinimi seem to be locale based. Downloading apps from recognized and approved sources is the safest way to avoid these types of viruses.
Malware seems to be a growing problem with smart phones.
Phandroid reports that 9% of Android users have been affected by an SMS bug that sends out the message “My boss is an A$$!” to random people from your contact list.
If this is trend continues, looks like even our phones will need constant system and virus protection updates.
Cross-posted from Cyber Arms