Android wallpaper app that takes your data was downloaded by millions

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Sashikumar N <sashikumar.n () gmail com>
> Date: July 30, 2010 4:07:59 AM EDT
> To: dave <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Android wallpaper app that takes your data was downloaded by millions

> Prof Dave,
> For IP..this was first reported in slashdot..
> regards
> sashi
>
> http://mobile.venturebeat.com/2010/07/28/android-wallpaper-app-that-steals-your-data-was-downloaded-by-millions/
>
> questionable Android mobile wallpaper app that collects your personal data and sends it to a mysterious site in 
> China, has been downloaded millions of times, according to data unearthed by mobile security firm Lookout.
>
> That means that apps that seem good but are really stealing your personal information are a big risk at a time when 
> mobile apps are exploding on smartphones, said John Hering, chief executive, and Kevin MaHaffey, chief technology 
> officer at Lookout, in their talk at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas today.
>
> “Even good apps can be modified to turn bad after a lot of people download it,” MaHaffey said. “Users absolutely have 
> to pay attention to what they download. And developers have to be responsible about the data that they collect and 
> how they use it.”
>
> The app in question came from Jackeey Wallpaper, and it was uploaded to the Android Market, where users can download 
> it and use it to decorate their phones that run the Google Android operating system. It includes branded wallpapers 
> from My Little Pony and Star Wars, to name just a couple.
>
> Update: Lookout notes it does not capture browsing history and text messages. It collects your phone number, 
> subscriber identification, and even your voicemail password, as long as it is programmed automatically into your 
> phone. It sends the data to a web site, www.imnet.us. That site is evidently owned by someone in Shenzhen, China. The 
> app has been downloaded anywhere from 1.1 million to 4.6 million times. The exact number isn’t known because the 
> Android Market doesn’t offer precise data. The search through the data showed that Jackeey Wallpaper and another 
> developer known as iceskysl@1sters! (which could possibly be the same developer, as they use similar code) were 
> collecting personal data. The wallpaper app asks for permission to access your “phone calls,” but that isn’t 
> necessarily a clear warning. 
>
> <snip>
>
>
> -- 
> Thankyou
> regards
> sashi



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