IT Security: Google deploys Andriod "Kill Switch"

Myournet named itself as developer and uploaded 21 pieces of software which carried a trojan which collects data and then sends it to destination nominated by the producer. Kingmall2010 and we20090202 have also had their applications removed. The trojan can also install other software without the user's knowledge by accessing the phone's root.

There has been malware in the Android sector before - but only in unauthorised third party download sites. The software identified and removed by Google on 2nd March is the first to have been posted to the official Android Market.

Although the latest version of Android (2.3) plugs the specific holes that DroidDream exploits, the installation of the latest version is usually handled by phone companies, not by Google or by users themselves. And few manufacturers have yet provided the software. Indeed, some Froyo (2.2) users were still waiting for upgrade some three months after Froyo's release.

Having removed them malware from the Market, Google then had to decide what to do about the estimated quarter of a million infected phones. Time for a return for the previously derided "kill switch."

In October 2008 Google announced the Kill Switch - which allows a phone to be programmed to remove specific programs and the things they do. Then it was generally derided. In part, that was criticism by association - some magazines asking whether Apple could be trusted to allow Apps to run on jailbroken phones.

There was also a question as to whether Google would deploy the technology against any App which had been sourced from outside the Android Market. In fact, the Kill Switch is itself part of the Android Market and therefore not applicable to installations from third party sites.

But Google has used the device only once previously - in June 2010 - to kill applications which, Google alleged, misrepresented its purpose and was in fact an information gathering tool. However, Google said that there was no evidence that personal information had in fact been gathered and transmitted. Those removals were on the basis of breaches of Android Market's terms of service which require Apps to ask permission to access personal data (a requirement that is brutally dealt with by most developers who simply say "this App will access....." and you either accept that package of access or reject the App entirely.

But the mass destruction of installed Apps starting the 6th March is a completely different prospect.

The "remote wipe" can be operated only if the phone is connected to the internet. When Android phones home to check for updates to installed software, the phone is told that the installed software is unsafe and a process similar to the autoinstall is kicked off to remove it.

If users try to run the App (quite how they do that when it's been uninstalled and, presumably, so has its icons is not clear) a message appears telling them what has happened. And if the App is not started within three days, a system notification pops up explaining the action.

So, Android users should log their phones onto a data connection if they have installed any Apps recently and check for updates (that should happen automatically when the connection is made.

The bad according to Google: the removed Apps.

Malware applications from Kingmall2010:1. Bowling Time2. Advanced Barcode Scanner3. Supre Bluetooth Transfer4. Task Killer Pro5. Music Box6. Sexy Girls: Japanese7. Sexy Legs8. Advanced File Manager9. Magic Strobe Light10. ??????11. ????Panzer Panic12. ????Mr. Runner13. ??????14. Advanced App to SD15. Super Stopwatch & Timer16. Advanced Compass Leveler17. Best password safe18. ???19. ????

Malware applications from we20090202:1. Finger Race2. Piano3. Bubble Shoot4. Advanced Sound Manager5. Magic Hypnotic Spiral6. Funny Face7. Color Blindness Test8. Tie a Tie9. Quick Notes10. Basketball Shot Now11. Quick Delete Contacts12. Omok Five in a Row13. Super Sexy Ringtones14. ?????15. ?????16. ????

Malware applications from Myournet:1. Falling Down2. Super Guitar Solo3. Super History Eraser4. Photo Editor5. Super Ringtone Maker6. Super Sex Positions7. Hot Sexy Videos8. Chess9. ????_Falldown10. Hilton Sex Sound11. Screaming Sexy Japanese Girls12. Falling Ball Dodge13. Scientific Calculator14. Dice Roller15. ????16. Advanced Currency Converter17. App Uninstaller18. ????_PewPew19. Funny Paint20. Spider Man21. ???