Android smartphones now targeted by cybercriminals

By Christof Kerkmann Nov 20, 2011, 3:07 GMT

Berlin - It's the dark side of success: smartphones running the popular Android operating system are being targeted by cybercriminals. The attackers use the fact that many users install apps on their phones without checking them out properly first - potentially with disastrous consequences.

The mobile device game Angry Birds offers the perfect disguise for cybercriminals. Millions of fans are anxiously waiting for the latest game with the vindictive birds. Who would expect something evil behind the brightly coloured comic facade?

But those with a smartphone running the Android operating system had better look a bit closer. That's because criminals have repeatedly used this platform and offered apps that look like the original game from Rovio - but ones that, in reality, spy on the unsuspecting users.

Data thieves and hackers are looking more and more at smartphones because the little do-it-all devices are also know-it-all devices, which people use not just for their telephone books, but also often for secret business mails and bank information.

In principle, all smartphone systems are threatened, but Android is a particularly worthwhile destination as 43 per cent of all new smartphones have Google software installed. And the system is vulnerable to attacks due to its openness.

Now, it cannot be said that Android is unsafe. Google stresses that the programs run in a 'sandbox' - a sealed off area. By default, applications cannot interact with one another and have limited access to the operating system, according to the company.

But there is a gateway for digital viruses. 'The fundamental problem is the apps,' said IT security expert Alexander Tsolkas, referring to the beloved small programs with which users enhance their device.

Prior to installation onto an Android device, every program lists what it can do on the device to which the user must confirm with 'accept and download.'

These warnings are designed to provide transparency, but they often just confuse many users. Must a game have 'unrestricted internet access'? Can an MP3 player access personal information such as the address book?

Many smartphone owners are overwhelmed by these detailed questions and just hit confirm without really looking into the details - like many have done with the faked version of Angry Birds.

'You should not leave the request of permission up to the users. Many do not understand it,' said Tsolkas.

The potential for abuse through harmful apps is large.

'It can result in data loss,' said Tsolkas. Hackers can read the address book, the browser history or the IMEI number which explicitly identifies every device. There are also financial risks, warned the expert: 'Spying programs can intercept the data from home banking or an app can send a fee-based text message to Russia.'

Harmful apps make their way into circulation because Google does not control the programmes offered by smartphone providers as strictly as Apple does with its iTunes App Store. The IT security company Symantec says the security hurdles that are in place can be bypassed relatively easily.

In addition, Android users can install apps that don't come from the official Google Apps Marketplace and therefore haven't been reviewed by Google. That isn't possible with Apple devices unless the user performs a 'jailbreak' on the device, which voids the guarantee.

One strength of the Android army of devices is simultaneously a weakness - the variety. The system can be used on various devices from dozens of manufacturers. When a software update comes out, not every provider offers it for all models. A statistic shows that only a small portion of the Android devices in the US have the current version included - with the consequence that some security holes remain open.

It's not clear how widespread the problem is. Google refuses to publish any numbers, but the security software manufacturer Kaspersky registered about 1,900 harmful programmes between January and October - that is half of all the viruses for all mobile devices, the company told dpa. That is still a small number compared to viruses and worms for PCs, but experts warn that the risk will increase in the coming years.

However, if a problem is found, Google has been good at reacting quickly. Malicious apps often are taken off the Android market within hours - like the fake Angry Birds. Still, by then a number of users had installed the programme - and the spy as well.