Android Malware Now Capable of Recording Your Phone Calls !!!

srikanth.naidu · Aug 7, 2011

A new find by the researchers at CA Security have unearthed a new kind of malware on andriod which can record infected devices conversations and uploads it to a remote server !

Andriodians beware
Source: http://community.ca.com/blogs/securityadvisor/archive/2011/08/01/a-trojan-spying-on-your-conversations.aspx

xHausx · Aug 7, 2011

Another reason why it's important to check the permissions for an app before installing it. I'm bad about sometimes just hitting ok without looking but usually I'll go back and check afterwards just in case.

Check out Permissions Denied and Privacy Blocker in the market, they are both good apps that will prevent apps from getting permission to do stuff you don't want them to. Just be aware that the affected app may FC if it tries to do something and you have it blocked. I believe CM7 now is also able to block permissions on an app by app basis.

Terghan · Aug 7, 2011

I usually have some sort of security installed on my phone. Regardless of checking apps before you install them, is this something I should continue to do? I flash new ROM's / ROM updates quite often, and I worry sometimes that it may be a good idea to make sure that Lookout, which is the anti-virus / anti-malware program that I use is installed before I do anything else.

blyss · Aug 7, 2011

I usually try to read the permissions, and some apps go out of their way to use permissions that are not necessary. I have been using Lookout Mobile Security, but I am not sure how well it works.

srikanth.naidu · Aug 7, 2011

I think its time phone makers start inculcating permission management as in CM 7 in to there builds to help user's control these things. You could also use LBE Privacy guard, to control apps.

LuvMyDroid · Aug 8, 2011

xHausx said:
Another reason why it's important to check the permissions for an app before installing it. I'm bad about sometimes just hitting ok without looking but usually I'll go back and check afterwards just in case.

Check out Permissions Denied and Privacy Blocker in the market, they are both good apps that will prevent apps from getting permission to do stuff you don't want them to. Just be aware that the affected app may FC if it tries to do something and you have it blocked. I believe CM7 now is also able to block permissions on an app by app basis.

Another nice app for this is called LBE Privacy Guard. I'm also a bit lax on checking before installing, but LBE will ask you in your notification window to confirm each perm. Allowing you to choose permit, ask each time it needs it, or deny access all together. I use it to deny access for network on games that don't need it to function and phone identification for almost all apps as most really don't need that info to work.

ToBe_HH · Aug 8, 2011

Which software to record calls?

Hi there,

as far as I know you cannot really record calls in Android becuase you can not intercept the phone directly. Therefore basically all phone recording software requires you to switch to speaker mode and records the call via the microphone (which may result in very bad audio quality, depending on your location).

Or is there now another (a better) way to record calls? Does an app exist, which records calls?

Kind regards,

∵ ToBe

Ciela · Aug 8, 2011

ToBe_HH said:
as far as I know you cannot really record calls in Android becuase you can not intercept the phone directly. Therefore basically all phone recording software requires you to switch to speaker mode and records the call via the microphone (which may result in very bad audio quality, depending on your location).

That was my understanding of it as well.. heck for the Desire you need to be rooted, flash a specially-modified kernel, and have the correct radio ROM flashed.

necrohades · Aug 8, 2011

ToBe_HH said:
Hi there,

as far as I know you cannot really record calls in Android becuase you can not intercept the phone directly. Therefore basically all phone recording software requires you to switch to speaker mode and records the call via the microphone (which may result in very bad audio quality, depending on your location).

Or is there now another (a better) way to record calls? Does an app exist, which records calls?

Kind regards,

∵ ToBe

there is one, works well with sony ericsson x10 mini pro, from android market

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.schass.recording.call&feature=search_result

outchard · Aug 8, 2011

I installed "LBE Security Service". (needs root) : works great

The author writes:
Protect your privacy by controlling the permission of each application to access your sensitive data.
- Block malicious operation from Mal-wares and Trojans.
- Block unwanted network traffic if you don’t have a unlimited data plan.
- Find out which application is trying to steal your privacy by checking the security log.

dstyl · Aug 8, 2011

But apps like Angry Birds steal nearly everything from your (Position, Contacts ,SMS and so on) so i think there should be a general rule in the market which forbids things like Call recording(really man who needs this ^^) , and personal data stuff only the Position for apps who really needs this. And i mean nearly every free apps sells your data and this is not so cool i think you dont know nothing what happends to this data and I think there is alot to do on every mobile OS ( for every os is an angrybirds convert ^^), I knew at s60 (Symbian) there were a lot of antivirus kits to download(kaspersky, Bitdefender etc) maybe they will now see the market of android for antivirus softworks

FadeFx · Aug 8, 2011

dstyl said:
But apps like Angry Birds steal nearly everything from your (Position, Contacts ,SMS and so on) so i think there should be a general rule in the market which forbids things like Call recording(really man who needs this ^^) , and personal data stuff only the Position for apps who really needs this. And i mean nearly every free apps sells your data and this is not so cool i think you dont know nothing what happends to this data and I think there is alot to do on every mobile OS ( for every os is an angrybirds convert ^^), I knew at s60 (Symbian) there were a lot of antivirus kits to download(kaspersky, Bitdefender etc) maybe they will now see the market of android for antivirus softworks

just checked and angrybirds has no permission to access anything you mentioned, it only has full network access for ads (cm7 permission revoked) and read network state, thats all.

lockzackary · Aug 9, 2011

Droid Wall

I think just by using droidwall you can already squish a lot of malicious intentions an app has.
Its allows you to set a whitelist (or blacklist) of apps that you would allow to block packets from being sent.
What's great about it is:
1. it doesnt drain your battery, because it doesnt run as a service, but modifies your device's iptables
2. one of its features is logging your network activity so you could see which apps are actually sending or downloading data... this is helpful if you got a doctored copy of your favorite game or app. In case that app was modified to spy-on-you you can still block it

thagrg · Aug 9, 2011

wow, then I think that I'll delete my entire mobile memory and apps and then start installing apps over again but I have to read the permissions very well this time.
Google should do something serious about that!
Thanks.

dstyl · Aug 9, 2011

@FadeFX
Sry my fault

Only the iOS version of angry birds steals psw ,contacts etc.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576020083703574602.html?mod=what_they_know

there are the most apps who are watching u so if you are unshure take a look

For Android and iOS users knows anybody sm about apps who steals your data on WP7 ?
______________________________
LG e900 MFG Unlocked Mango Beta 2 <------------ Nokia 6630

srikanth.naidu · Aug 10, 2011

Pretty much all apps need some kind or the other kind of permission .. so the wise thing is to look up these permissions while installing app or use any one of the other apps to do that for you ..

dstyl · Aug 11, 2011

Pretty much all apps need some kind or the other kind of permission .. so the wise thing is to look up these permissions while installing app or use any one of the other apps to do that for you ..
__________________
Phone: Htc Desire HD (ACE)
Rom: HONEY3D 1.1
Radio:12.48.60.23p_26.08.04.07_m3
Kernel :Kquicksall
Recovery: 4 EXT CWM 3.0.2.8
OC : No frills

Yes ,but if you use an iOS device there came no permission screen ,so you have to lock it up in the Appcontract what this app does in background , so it seems like the only way to get malware on an Android/WP7 seems to dont read the Permissions and only click ok ( imean if you install a FartMaschine or sth. and it needs your Position data to work there must be something bad in the background

I mean for kids who uses there phone or ipod or whatever this is a really big responsibilty and u cant except from an 10 or 14 year old kid to take care about that i think these data stealing apps should be forbidden ,if you read the article you see that from 101 tested apps 56 send user data to different networks. Both the Android and iPhone versions of Pandora, a popular music app, sent age, gender, location and phone identifiers to various ad networks so i think there have to be a cut by the law. For me it was a new world to because i had an s60v2 device from 2004 till the last month so i had to learn to take care what my phone knews about me.

_____________________________________________
LG e900 MFG Unlocked Mango Beta 2<----------Nokia 6630

nathanpc · Aug 11, 2011

I never look at the application permissions, but this made me rethink after installing some applications...

Android Malware Now Capable of Recording Your Phone Calls !!!

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