There’s no screening process for Apps added to the Android Market, which means it’s easy to slip in malware along with a legitimate app. There have been several reported cases of Android malware, but the outbreaks have been small until now. Last last week, Symantec reported about Android.Counterclank, a piece of code tacked on to apps that’ll execute remote commands and steal information from the device. It’s a new variant of older malware known as Android.tonclank.
What makes this infection significant is it wide distribution. It’s been found in 13 different titles in the Android Market and downloaded between one to five million times based on Android Market download estimates. Symantec has a growing list of titles that contain the malware and will add to the list as the company finds more infected apps (hint: stay away from Counterstrike add-ons and sexy girl apps and you’ll be safe). The app runs as a service known as apperhand and should appear in the settings>applications>Running services. It’ll also add a small search icon to your home screen. You can get additional information about this threat from Symantec’s website.
[Via Symantec]