Premium SMS Trojan Targets Android Users

Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab have discovered a trojan targeting smartphones that run the Android mobile operating system, which sends SMS messages to premium rate numbers.

Even though trojans that target smartphones are not a new threat, this is the first such malware discovered in the wild and specifically targeting Google's mobile platform.

In order to infect Android-based devices, the malicious application poses as a media player. The installer is around 13 KB and has the regular .APK extension.

The payload of the trojan, detected as Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a by Kaspersky, involves sending SMS messages to premium rate numbers set up by the attackers, thus earning them money.

"Kaspersky Lab recommends that users pay close attention to the services that an application requests access to when it is being installed. That includes access to premium rate services that charge to send SMSs and make calls," the antivirus vendor notes.

"When a user agrees to these functions during the installation of an application, the smartphone may then be able to make calls and send SMSs without further authorization," it explains.

Back in June we reported about a similar trojan, called Flocker, which targeted the owners of devices running the Symbian mobile operating system.

At least two significantly different versions of the Flocker malware are known to date, one coded in Java and one in Python. Both of them are of Asian origin and send SMS messages to premium numbers.

The Android adoption rate has exploded recently. The sales of Android-based smartphones has surpassed that of iPhones during the first half of the year.

Unfortunately, this increased popularity also makes the platform a good target for cybercriminals. In a recent interview with Softpedia, Vincent Steckler, the CEO of AVAST Software, warned that "Android will be getting a lot of attention" from the bad guys.