Fake Android App - Does Your Android Do More Than It Should?

Android's security has been breached, people! Stand down, stand down - this is a matter of personal security! And its asking you to say Hello to the new Lookout??@#$#!!


Play Store aka the Android Market has been compromised with the discovery of a fake antivirus/security app stating in its description that it is rated the #1 security app by users and reviewers. Its basically to put you under the false pretences that everything is all rainbows and butterflies in the world. But the app doesn't protect your Android device from attacks, it infiltrates it.

Researchers from TrustGo Security Firm have found that an app that 'resembled' LookOut™ and was developed to look like an update of the authentic and original security app consists of a malicious code. The bogus app has a hidden name, "Updates" and the developers are the good people from Good Byte Labs.

The bogus app "Updates" consists of a malware detected as Trojan!FakeLookout.A and is designed to steal SMS and MMS messages and upload them to a remote FTP server. The malware can potentially steal your personal data breaching and bashing your security.

Apparently, users are unaware of the invasion hence, there aren't reports of the virus being spread as yet.

According to TrustGo:

"New approach being attempted by malware makers contains a Trojan file that targets multiple platforms including Windows, Mac, and Unix/Linux operating systems."

TrustGo has notified Google and the app has been removed from the Play Store. If you have been a victim of such an attack, please download and install a reliable antivirus/security app and run it. If that doesn't work for you then you can do a hard reset to format your device completely (please, back it up before doing so, we will not be held responsible for your imbecility!) Let us know how it went for you so we can advise our readers to take the right preventive and/or curative methods.

Stay safe, people!

Cheers!

About The Author

This article is written by Sindhia Javed Junejo. She is one of the core members of RHA team.