http://www.cuinfosecurity.com/2-new-malware-threats-identified-a-5501?rf=2013-02
ID: 3528626 • Letter: H
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http://www.cuinfosecurity.com/2-new-malware-threats-identified-a-5501?rf=2013-02-11-ec http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/02/silent_circle_s_latest_app_democratizes_encryption_governments_won_t_be.html One of the reports dealt with malware on mobile devices - specifically Android apps from the Google market. a. Explain how Google is looking for malware. b. Do you feel the different mobile app markets have the primary responsibility for malware detection/prevention? Explain.Explanation / Answer
With Android 4.2, Google has taken steps to address the lingering threat of malware on its mobile platform with a new security tool that quickly crosschecks sideloaded apps for harmful code. But a computer scientist at North Carolina State University has put Google's solution through a thorough test and found that barely 15 percent of malicious samples were properly identified by the scanner. In conducting his test, Xuxian Jiang loaded 1,260 instances of Android malware onto the recently-released Nexus 10 and examined which of those triggered a warning to users. Only 193 of them did so, amounting to a lackluster 15.32-percent detection rate.
The subpar performance is particularly surprising since, according to Jiang, Google has been made aware of many of these test samples by members the research community. The disappointing showing also gives a leg up to third-party apps specializing in virus and malware protection. Until Google's built-in security measures can protect wary users to the same degree as alternatives from the likes of AVG, Dr. Web, and Avast, those apps are likely to remain popular in the Google Play store.
IS MALWARE ON ANDROID A REAL CONCERN?
Of course, whether such apps are necessary to begin with is a matter of heated debate among Android users. For most consumers that download applications exclusively from Google Play, malware is rarely if ever an issue to be concerned with. Still, there have been exceptions. Jiang points out that VirusTotal
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