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.
Thread beginning with comment 431359
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
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 The user/admin model is so outdated that it's laughable.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[3]: Comment by anevilyak
by jtfolden on Thu 24th Jun 2010 20:22
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by anevilyak"
Member since:2005-08-12
RE[3]: Comment by anevilyak
by nt_jerkface on Thu 24th Jun 2010 21:55
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by anevilyak"
Member since:2009-08-26
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 ?
No it can't get on as easily, especially when Android apps can update themselves without having to go through the market.
http://blogs.forbes.com/firewall/2010/06/21/researcher-builds-mock-...
RE[3]: Comment by anevilyak
by Tony Swash on Thu 24th Jun 2010 22:17
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by anevilyak"
Member since:2009-08-22
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 ?
Of course malware is less likely on the Apple App Store than Android market. That's one the benefits of Apple's curated app distribution model with its built in quality control system. Its actually the main reason Apple do it that way.
Its best not to try to hide this - better to say the truth which is that the Android way is freer but less secure.
Its up to the end user what model they prefer more. The Android way where you get less security (and fewer apps) but those apps are distributed in a more decentralised and and less controlled way. Or the Apple way where there are more apps and their distribution and quality control is more restrictive.
Then leave the consumer to select the model they prefer.
I think the consumer will prefer safety (given the general experience of consumers during the Windows dominated desktop era) but I could be wrong - the end users will decide through their purchasing decisions.
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.
RE[3]: Comment by anevilyak
by jtfolden on Thu 24th Jun 2010 20:20
in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by anevilyak"
Member since:2005-08-12
Well, that's sort of what I was getting at... how the user is alerted. For example, some sort of address book related app might, logically, ask for the permissions to make calls when first installed. Isn't this a situation where if it were a malicious app it could then later, make calls/send texts without notice?
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/25/13 0:45 UTC
"So in summary... Google has pulled the plug on support on a protocol they've helped popularize, after years of promising interoperability, for reasons that are dubious at best, and in a way that leaves people who don't jump to the new Hangouts app unable to talk to their contacts without any feedback that their IMs aren't getting through... And they've done that with no warning to anyone. I imagine there's a bunch of people out there wondering where some of their buddies have gone, or why their messages aren't getting responses, because this isn't documented anywhere." Google really messed this up. Such a dick move.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 23:59 UTC
The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 22:33 UTC
Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Linked by Howard Fosdick on 05/24/13 21:41 UTC
Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking website, for $1.1 billion USD. Tumblr offers little revenue but lots of eyeballs if Yahoo can monetarize them. Now Yahoo is bidding for Hulu, the streaming video service. After years of ineffective responses while Google, Facebook, and others took large chunks of the online advertising market, Yahoo is fighting back. Can Yahoo reignite the momentum it had at the turn of the century? What do you think?
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 14:44 UTC
"Sources have described iOS 7 as 'black, white, and flat all over'. This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements." I couldn't be happier.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 23:22 UTC
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:04 UTC
"Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 22:01 UTC
"In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/23/13 17:52 UTC
"The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 22:23 UTC
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.More News »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2005-08-12
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?