Android users warned vs fake Android market

Users of devices running Google's Android OS were cautioned this week to be on guard against "alternative" markets where they can download and install apps outside Google's Play. Security vendor BitDefender noted the rise of a new "alternative" market that serves only malware targeting Android devices. "Dressed up to perfectly imitate the genuine Google Play, this rogue repository offers no less than 55 distinct applications that are all infected with Android.Trojan.FakeInst.P, a piece of malware that incurs additional costs by sending short messages to premium-rate services," it said in a post on its Hot for Security blog. It said this was different from other third-party Android markets that have traditionally been the main source of infection since the Android boom. The only "warning" is a disclaimer at the bottom of the page in Russian, that claims the application may send between two and three messages to many premium-rate numbers. "Even if the unwary user knew that, the final sum of money added to the bill is purely arbitrary: the mentioned premium-rate numbers charge between two and 10 Euros, or the converted value in the victim’s currency," it noted. BitDefender noted that with Android devices gaining ground, cybercrooks think up new ways to trick users into installing risky apps. It advisd users frequently downloading applications from third-party markets to install a mobile security solution. — LBG, GMA News