May 03, 2024 | Updated: 11:35 AM EDT
Jun 07, 2013 02:09 PM EDT
Android users should be wary. ‘Backdoor.AndroidOS.Obad.’ is the ‘most sophisticated’ Android Torjan eveer according to Kaspersky the IT security firm. "One feature of this Trojan is that the malicious application cannot be deleted once it has gained administrator privileges: by exploiting a previously unknown Android vulnerability, the malicious application enjoys extended privileges, but is not listed as an application with Device Administrator privileges," said Kaspersky Lab Expert Roman Unuchek.
The virus spreads via SMS by sending messages to premium-rate numbers allowing it to download malware and have the infected device send malware to other devices through Bluetooth. Once the Trojan has infected a device it gets device administrator privileges and can do pretty much anything.
Currently the virus is still small, 0.15% of all maleware infection attempts on mobiles but it has the potential to spread like an Android Black Death so users should take precautions. Securelist has a post that offers great details about how the virus operates so users should give it a look to protect themselves.
Basically don’t let unfamiliar programs execute on your phone or give them permissions. Keep an eye out for things running in the background and watch out for mysterious SMS messages.
