London, Nov 7 (ANI): Smartphone users need to take more precautions to protect themselves from unintentionally downloading malware applications, according to a national computer security campaign.
According to Get Safe Online, a UK-based campaign and national initiative to teach citizens about basic computer security, there has been an increase in smartphone malware as the market has grown.
Criminals are typically creating Trojan copies of reputable apps and tricking users into installing them, the BBC reports.
The app, if downloaded, can secretly generate cash for criminals through premium rate text messages.
The campaign said fraudsters are designing apps that generate cash secretly in the background without the owner realising until their monthly bill is received.
A typical scam involves an app designed to send texts to premium rate services without the user knowing.
According to the report, apps can appear to be bona fide software or sometimes masquerade as stripped down free versions of well-known games.
The campaign has expressed concerns that users of smartphones, such as Android devices, were not taking enough steps to protect their devices.
Rik Ferguson, a hacking researcher with the Internet security firm Trend Micro, pointed out that ‘this type of malware is capable of sending a steady stream of text messages to premium rate numbers’.
“With costs of up to 6 pounds per message, this can be extremely lucrative,” Ferguson said.
“The user won’t know this is taking place, even if they happen to be using the device at the same time, as the activity takes place within the device’s back-end infrastructure,” he added. (ANI)
Article source: http://in.news.yahoo.com/smartphone-users-warned-over-downloading-malware-apps-093314611.html
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