More Android malware invades Google Marketplace

By Aemon Malone Published May 31, 2011

While you may have been enjoying barbecues and sunshine over the long holiday weekend, several malware programs were busying inserting themselves into Google’s Android app portal. According to security firm Lookout, over two dozen apps were infected by malicious programs.

When all was said and done, some 30,000 to 120,000 users are said to have been affected by the outbreak, dubbed Droid Dream Light. Google was quick to respond and pulled the 25 apps suspected of being infected. Those apps include titles developed by the companies Magic Photo Studio, BeeGoo, Mango Studio and E.T. Tean.

Recommended Videos

Lookout says the this latest round of malware does not rely on users manually launching infected apps to trigger the malware’s behavior. Rather, the programs can be activated through basic phone functions, such as an incoming call.

Droid Dream Light programs are capable of prompting users to download additional packages to their phones, but apparently cannot do so without user consent. Previous Android malware outbreaks have featured programs capable of downloading additional packages without user intervention.

Lookout says that it first became aware of Droid Dream Light after a developer alerted the company that versions of his apps were appearing in the Google Marketplace in modified forms. Droid Dream Light comes in the wake of a similar wave of malware infections that were first reported in early March of this year.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mobile

Google just announced 9 new features for your Android phone and watch

Samsung Galaxy S23 showing Google Photos

Google has announced some big new features coming to Android and Wear OS devices during the Mobile World Congress 2023 event in Barcelona, Spain. These new features are beginning to roll out starting today, February 27, with others to come later.
New Android features available starting February 27

Google Drive users will now be able to do freehand annotation on Android phones and tablets. This means you are now able to use a stylus or your fingers to annotate PDFs directly in the Google Drive app on Android.

Mobile

When is my phone getting Android 13? Google, Samsung, OnePlus, and more

Android 13 has been available for Android phones since late 2022, and it's a pretty minor update from Google. Well, we say minor, but that's only in comparison to the positively gargantuan number of changes that were in Android 12 — and in light of Google's policy of trickling out improvements to Android apps over the course of a year as soon as they're ready. Android 13 is more of a tune-up to the engine that powers your phone than anything else. But it's still one worth getting excited for.

Tablet and foldable owners will see the most benefits, and there will be some updates to Material You to improve Android's customizability. There really isn't much else to say about Android 13. It's a very under-the-hood update, and that trend appears to be continuing with the upcoming Android 14 as well.

Mobile

Our phones are more addictive than ever — is there a way back?

people immersed in using their smartphones on a subway train.

When the first iPhone came out, its home screen was filled with dazzling rows of apps with eye-popping icons, a notification system that would constantly buzz and remind you what you’re missing, a vast catalog of activities to keep you entertained for hours, and much more. 15 years later, not much has fundamentally changed. The bright and colorful apps and the round-the-clock drumbeat of alerts urging you to check your phone are all still here.

However, in the intervening years, what has dramatically evolved is our relationship with smartphones. Over a decade ago, most people barely spent half an hour on the mobile web. Today, that figure has skyrocketed to more than four hours on average -- and it continues to climb.