Fiction Becomes Reality: Android Devices Compromised

BEIJING -- A few months ago, the Android Market was opened to allow anyone to load software onto the Android Market. Later, studies show that an average of one in every five applications had access to personal information on the respected device. This could lead to all sorts of viruses, spyware, and malware being created to attack users. Reasons for the creation of such programs could vary beyond one's wildest imagination. A vast majority of them probably do it for some sort of economic incentives, while others do it for the thrill of other people's misfortunes.

In July, 2010, the Global Mobile Security Center of NetQin Mobile Inc., a global leading mobile security service provider, found the first spyware application --"Carrot App"-- available on the Android operating system. The application disguises itself as a calculator that calculates service tips for the end user. In actuality, the application would have been installed by someone else and set up to send an email once every hour to the installer's email address. The email would contain all the SMS that were sent and received from that phone over the past hour. This is one of many ways an application could be created to leak out personal information of the actual user of the device. Since the finding, NetQin has increased their virus database to ensure full security against such programs.

Recently, several other mobile security firms also detected malicious software in the wild. Amongst these malicious applications is a media player which claims to be harmless, but is really a Trojan horse that begins to send text messages to premium-rate phone numbers, without the owner's knowledge, which would result in money passing from the user's account to that of a cyber criminal.

Approximately 18,600 Android-based applications were created in July 2010, which was a huge increase compared with the 1669 that were created in July last year. According to the study of mobile users in the USA by Nielsen Wire, a research company, "Google's Android OS has shown the most significant expansion in market share among current subscribers." With the above said, virus authors are expected to see Android systems as a growing target.

NetQin Mobile Inc. is global leading mobile security service provider with more than 55 million users worldwide. A recent report from research company, Frost & Sullivan, stated that NetQin holds ~65% market share of China mobile security market with 35 million users in China by June 2010.

About NetQin

Founded in Beijing in 2005 and backed by leading venture capital firms like Sequoia, Mayfield and Fidelity, NetQin delivers complete mobile security solutions based on "Cloud" security platform, including anti-virus, anti-spam, privacy protection and online virus scan service, to over 55 million users worldwide. As a leading player in mobile security, NetQin holds 64% market share in China, and has received multiple industry awards, including the 2009 China Frost & Sullivan Award for Mobile Security Market Leadership.

Extensive partnership has accelerated the growth of NetQin. The company is the only partner providing anti-spamming service to China Mobile, and is a close partner of China Unicom. As an important partner to Nokia, NetQin products are preloaded on all S60 devices sold in China. NetQin products also preloaded on Sony-Ericsson smart-phones sold in China and Korea. NetQin works closely with Huawei mobile software, and has also been recognized as a platinum partner of the Symbian Foundation.