Android malware infecting 4 million of users leads to traffic and loss of battery

Beijing time November 22 Morning News, San Francisco mobile security company Lookout estimated that starting in January 2013, a malicious software attack against Android users has affected 4 million to 4.5 million Americans. For years, security researchers have warned that the full impact of malware and viruses on smartphones is only a matter of time. Now the prophecy is finally fulfilled. Lookout first discovered this application, named Notcompatible, two years ago, and has since been upgraded several times. According to Lookout, the company's 50 million user base estimates that more than 4 million smartphone users across the US are affected. Criminals attack smartphones primarily by infecting legitimate websites. When a victim accesses a Web site that has been implanted with malicious code, its smartphone downloads malicious code. In other cases, attackers send spam to victims by the e-mail accounts they hijack. Lookout researchers say the technology causes more than 20,000 people to be infected every day. The researchers say the attackers recently installed malicious code in the user's phone by disguising it as a security patch in an e-mail attachment. In addition, attackers can infect Android users by attaching links to bogus weight-loss messages. The researchers say the attackers aim to infect as many smartphones as possible to make up the so-called botnet for various illegal purposes. Lookout researchers said there was evidence that Notcompatible's authors rented control of infected mobile devices to other people to send more junk mail, or through Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Eventshopper and Craigslist and other sites to buy tickets. Some people also use infected devices to crack the WordPress account. Lookout says the malware has now evolved into a third generation, allowing infected devices to search and communicate with each other and share information. The attacker also found a way to encrypt the communication information between its control center and the infected device, making it more difficult to detect and decipher. Lookout says the latest version of Notcompatible has set a new benchmark for malware in its design and operational complexities. These malicious software behavior will cause the user the economic loss. The data traffic that criminals generate from their victims ' phones is borne by the victims themselves. Even if it does not cause too much direct distress to users, the researchers say, it will increase the power consumption significantly. The discovery of lookout again raises concerns about the safety of mobile devices. The company's mobile security applications have been able to identify notcompatible malware and prevent users from being infected. (Ding Macro)