New malware spreading on Android smartphones

A new piece of malware designed to run on Android phones is tricking users by disguising itself as a media player dedicated to pornography.

The new application is designed to be spread outside the Android Market store. According to Denis Maslennikov, security analyst at Kaspersky Lab, the app is being distributed “via clever search engine optimisation techniques”.

“Once installed, it simply drops an icon – an adult-themed photograph – on the smartphone’s screen and starts sending premium SMS messages without the user’s knowledge, whenever the app is launched,” Maslennikov told Information Week. “With the search engine optimisation techniques being used, there is a likelihood this is infecting a lot of users.”

Once installed, the application starts sending $5 SMS messages to different phone numbers. While the malware is targetting mainly Russian users, Maslennikov says the virus has the potential to expand globally.