Dansient: Android Apps Leaking Private Info
Of the 10,000 Android applications examined, more than 800 were leaking personal data to an unauthorized server.
By
Kara Reeder | Jul 20, 2011
According to InformationWeek, a recent study by anti-malware service provider Dasient found that of the 10,000 Android applications examined, more than 800 were leaking personal data to an unauthorized server. In addition, 11 applications were sending potentially unwanted SMS messages to other smartphones.
Dasient CTO Neil Daswani, who is scheduled to give a talk on the full results of the study at this year's Black Hat conference, also notes that the number of malware samples Dasient has detected on Android devices has doubled in the past two years.
Android-specific malware seems to be popping up more frequently. Recently, a new variant of the notorious bank account-stealing Zeus Trojan known as "ZitMo," or "Zeus-in-the-Mobile," has been discovered on Android smartphones. In addition, a new version of the "DroidDream Light" malware, as well as a new Android threat dubbed "HippoSMS," have been discovered.
