In the free games for Android discovered a dangerous virus

Experts in the field of information security best smartphone and tablet-based OC Android exercise extreme caution when downloading applications from foreign sites.

Downloaded from untrusted sources copies of popular games (like Angry Birds and Need for Speed ​​Most Wanted), may contain an application that uses your mobile device to send out spam. Information about a new threat known as SpamSoldier, recently published by Cloudmark, renowned manufacturer of defense.

As explained by representatives of Cloudmark, the first phase of the campaign spammer is to create mobile 'botnet', intended to send you unsolicited messages. Said step involves sending thousands of messages that smartphone owners are invited to download the free versions of popular games. In contrast to the legal games available in stores Google Play Store, free copies are downloaded from an unknown server in China. And to start the application user to perform a number of unsafe acts, including personally disable the existing defense mechanisms and provide the program to connect to the net and send text messages.

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The installed application removes its own icon on the Home screen smartphone, download a list of phone numbers from a central server and begins to recruit new 'fighters'. Messages sent from a compromised phone also contains links to free game resources or to notify you of the receipt of the gift certificate.

The study also involved the threat analyst with Lookout, which specify that SpamSoldier trying to conceal their activity by editing the log of outgoing messages. Thus, the owner of the cell phone did not immediately notice that he was a victim of cybercrime. Until recently, the number of infected smartphones remained relatively small. However, today they are found in almost all major networks of mobile operators in the U.S., and the number of daily posts sent to landfill has exceeded 500 thousand.

"A new kind of malicious application is able to make a revolution in the field of SMS-spam, because it allows attackers to not pay for outgoing messages - explains Andrew Conway analyst Cloudmark, - SpamSoldier gaining momentum and, therefore, in the future we will have to face even more elaborate and complicated for the attack."