Android First Virus - Trojan SMS-sending reported

Kapersky Lab have now found a virus that attacks the Android platform phone. The virus entering user phone via trojan SMS that will drain user money by sending premium SMS.

This trojan virus size only 13 KB and will be active only when user running media player application. The virus will prompt user to approve or not when the Trojan is active, but it will make users think this is a common application that not harmful

Here is quoted statement from the Kapersky Lab:

Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, announced that the first malicious program classified as Trojan-SMS has been detected for the smartphone that runs on Google Android operating system. Named Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a, it has infected a number of mobile devices.

New malicious programs running through Android smartphone in disguise as a harmless media player application. Users will be prompted to install the small file not more than 13 KB with default Android extensions. Once installed on the phone, the Trojan uses the system to begin sending several SMSs to premium rate numbers without the owner's knowledge or approval, make money via the user's account.

Trojan-SMS category is currently the most widespread classes of malware for mobile phones, but Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a is the first to specifically target the Android platform. It should be noted that there had been isolated cases of devices running Android is infected with spyware. The program first appeared in the year 2009.

"IT market research and analysis organization IDC notes that sell devices that run Android experienced the highest growth in sales among smartphone manufacturers. Consequently, we can expect to see the related increase in the amount of malware targeting that platform," said Denis Maslennikov, Mobile Research Group Manager at Kaspersky Lab. "Kaspersky Lab is actively developing technologies and solutions to protect the operating system and plans to release Kaspersky Mobile Security for Android in early 2011."

Kaspersky Lab recommends that users pay attention to service that demand access to applications while it is installed. Which includes access to premium services assess that cost to send several SMSs and making calls. If the user agrees to these functions during the installation of the application, the smartphone may be able to make calls and send several SMSs without further permission.

Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a Signature has been added to the Kaspersky Lab antivirus databases.