Linked by David Adams on Thu 24th Jun 2010 16:22 UTC, submitted by Governa
About 20 percent of third-party apps available through the Android marketplace allow third-party access to sensitive data, and can do things like make calls and send texts without the owners' knowledge, according to a recent security report from security firm SMobile Systems. There's no indication that any of the highlighted apps is malicious, but the report does underscore the inherent risks of a more open ecosystem as opposed to Apple's oppressive yet more controlled environment, with every app being vetted before availability.
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Member since:2005-08-12
RE[2]: Comment by anevilyak
by Neolander on Thu 24th Jun 2010 19:39
in reply to "RE: Comment by anevilyak"
Member since:2010-03-08
If it's the way installing apps is planned to work on my OS, then the app will be killed by the OS, since it asks for something it didn't got the right to do at install time.
(Security based on fine-grained permissions like that is the way any OS should work. The user/admin model is so outdated that it's laughable. As someone said here, what do you fear at most ? Losing /bin or losing /home ?)
Just out of curiosity, are other people that the article's author seriously thinking that malware can't get on Apple's App Store as easily as on the Android Market ?
Edited 2010-06-24 19:45 UTC
RE[2]: Comment by anevilyak
by anevilyak on Thu 24th Jun 2010 19:44
in reply to "RE: Comment by anevilyak"
Member since:2005-09-14
I'm curious how it asks. I don't own an Android based phone but depending on how these warnings are prompted to the user, makes all the difference. Are they ONLY asked at install time? What if a seemingly innocuous app starts making random calls/texts at a later time?
If I understand your question correctly, the rights it asks for at install time are all it ever gets. Ergo, if it didn't ask for the "make calls" right when you go to install it, it cannot suddenly change its mind later and will fail if it tries to.
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Member since:
2005-09-14
That report is more or less garbage. The apps certainly can't do so without the user's knowledge for the simple reason that, when you go to install an app, the OS tells you a list of the security capabilities the app requests (which includes things like making calls, accessing your data, etc.) and confirms before installing it.