SOS Blog

Android Users: Malware Issue

There’s a new type of malware that can infect your computer when you connect your smartphone or tablet to your computer and then install a backdoor on your computer.

The suspected malware are Clean and DroidCleaner found in Google Play android market. These two are actually the same application. They are just released under two different names.

These applications are apparently disguised as a tool to clean memory for the Android operating system, but after installing and running it, it displays a list of all running processes and then restarts the device. Later, in the background, the app downloads three files:

autorun.inf,
folder.ico,
and svchosts.exe onto your phone.

Advice:

Currently, Google’s malware detection only targets about 15% of attacks. Android 4.2 allows a user to access malware protection under ‘Quick settings’. To access, ‘Quick settings’ can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen with two fingers, rather than the one-finger swipe used to access notifications. You can also use the settings button that located at the top of the notification drop-down menu. You can access a malware scanner for the platform that screens “sideloaded” apps — meaning software not downloaded from Google Play — for any mischievous code. As noted above, though, both of these apps mentioned above are found on the Google Play market. So Buyer Beware!

Android Security Update Notice for Wireless Carriers

Android users may have noticed that they are not getting their regular security update notifications as they should leaving them and those they connect with open to exploit and risk. The following explains why:

Activist Chris Soghoian, who has targeted zero-day brokers in the past with his work, has focused his attention on wireless carriers and their reluctance to provide regular device updates for Android mobile devices.

Read more

Advice:

Make sure you check this link frequently, about once every 2 days. Bottom line: Google Android does not have the protection against malware that it should. Keeping up to date with security warnings is your best defense.

Source: The Googlighting Stranger, Google Images

If you have ever watched Microsoft’s now infamous Internet commercial “Googlighting Stranger“, you know there’s a couple of famous lines in it that describe Google’s business model of killing features and tools after getting people to commit to them. “How else are we going to know what features to keep and what to kill?” asks Mr. Epperson, Google’s fictitious representative in the video. “Different? Better? Completely Gone? Who knows what the future holds for Google Apps?”

Well, we do know what’s going to happen to Google Sync, the feature that allowed iPhone users of Google Apps to access all the familiar tools. It will stick around for existing users and users of the Business, Government and Education versions of Google Apps but no longer for those who use the Standard (make that ‘free’ version)

According to Google from their blog, they are doing a little ‘winter cleaning’:

“Google Sync was designed to allow access to Google Mail, Calendar and Contacts via the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync® protocol. With the recent launch of CardDAV, Google now offers similar access via IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV, making it possible to build a seamless sync experience using open protocols. Starting January 30, 2013, consumers won’t be able to set up new devices using Google Sync; however, existing Google Sync connections will continue to function. Google Sync will continue to be fully supported for Google Apps for Business, Government and Education,”

Jim Dandy, aint it? Of course, Android users won’t be affected. But hurry soon, and get sync’d you free Google Apps users. Because after Jan 30, 2013 you won’t be able to enable Google Sync on any new device.

SOS Blog