Malicious software disguised as legitimate apps for Android smartphones and tablets has seized control of more than one million Google accounts since August, according to research from security firm Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. The apps had innocent-sounding names, such as StopWatch, Perfect Cleaner and Wi-Fi Enhancer. But they exploited known flaws in older versions of the Android operating system to take control of devices and install other apps and ad-spewing software without permission. Some of the unauthorized...
Malicious software has seized control of over one million Google accounts since August, according to security company Check Point Software Technologies. The malware, Trojan horse software Gooligan, was disguised as legitimate Android apps and exploited flaws in older Android operating systems to install apps and pop-up ads as well as stealing personal information. The software has infected 13,000 Android devices a day, with some of the apps still found on the Google Play store. Check Point has shared its findings with Google and the company is working on techniques to fix the issue.