ICT Security-Sécurité PC et Internet

Downloading apps from Google Play, the official online Android app market, is not without its dangers.

Even though Google has been scanning the offered apps for malware by using "Bouncer" - an automated app scanning service that should, in theory, detect malicious software and developers who keep offering it - there are still instances where they aren't booted out of the market soon enough.

Security researchers from AegisLab have recently discovered over 15 fake AV and "free SMS" apps being offered by the same developer ("thasnimola") that has been flagged for selling fake NQ Mobile apps in April.

Read more and be aware...

Two distinct malicious spam campaigns are currently targeting Twitter users and taking them to compromised sites serving rogue AV and scareware software, warns GFI.

The messages are short ("a must see LINK", "young girls are waiting LINK") and are spewed from bot and compromised accounts. Both contain links to a .tk domain.

Read more...

Comodo released SiteInspector, a free malware scanning and blacklist monitoring for websites. The free service allows website owners to set up recurring, daily checks on any 3 pages of a domain.

Even though most malicious Android apps are served from third-party app markets, cyber crooks occasionally manage to disseminate some via Google's official Android Market.

Codenamed "Bouncer", it scans both newly added and old apps in search for potentially malicious software, and analyzes developer accounts in order to prevent repeat-offending developers from returning with new malicious offerings.

A new exploit kit that Trustwave researchers have spotted being used in the wild is aiming to enter a market that is practically monopolized by the widely famous BlackHole and Phoenix exploit kits.

To deliver the malware, RedKit exploits two popular bugs: the Adobe Acrobat and Reader LibTIFF vulnerability (CVE-2010-0188) and the Java AtomicReferenceArray vulnerability (CVE-2012-0507), lately used by the criminals behind the massive Flashback infection.

Read more...

Instagram, the popular free photo sharing app for iOS devices, is now available for download for Android users on Google Play and Instagram's website.

Unfortunately, a rogue malicious version of it is also being pushed onto Russian Android users, offered from a webpage that mimics the legitimate one:

read more...