It’s no secret that malware on the Android is on the rise and it’s also no secret that no platform is safe these days. The more and more that digital interconnected devices become the norm, the more enticing and lucrative malware will become. It’s like throwing a net to sea, the more fish there are, the more fish you’re likely to catch.
To this end six scammers in Japan have been arrested for producing and distributing malware through adult sites, it was specifically targeted to users of Android devices. Once the app was run it would display a screen demanding a payment of 99,800 Yen – roughly $130 – every five minutes. Extorting people for money is one thing and you’re not guaranteed to get many people to go through with it however, out of 9,252 users that were hit with the app, 211 of them decided to pay the ransom. The reason for doing thing however, was more than likely down to the fact that the app would threaten to steal personal data such as e-mail addresses and phone numbers, in a country that relies on polite communication having your contacts leaked could put you in some sticky situations, indeed. Threats can sometimes be just threats, however, this particular piece of malware carried through and would display the content stolen on a subsequent screen as a scare tactic.
The app was released on 30 December last year and is probably not surprising that the developers designed this to target those visiting adult sites as there’s more than likely nothing standing in their way to do this sort of thing. This is the first time that Japanese have had to perform arrests due to a virus on a smartphone platform.
[Source: ZDNet Asia]