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Android Trojan Apps Build SMS Botnet

JB

A rudimentary, SMS-based botnet is ensnaring Android users into its web with a series of text messages offering free downloads for popular, paid gaming applications, according to Cloudmark researcher Andrew Conway.

The Trojan applications are reportedly mimicking games such as The Need for Speed Most Wanted, Grand Theft Auto 3, Max Payne HD, and Angry Birds Star Wars. Some users are apparently finding the deals too good to pass up, and, because the apps aren’t coming from the official Google Play Store, the malicious application is prompting them to go into the applications sub-section of their device’s settings menu and enable a feature that lets the device download apps from "Unknown Sources."