[dbollman423]

Camera App For Android Security Hack - Business Insider

Pretty scary.

Posted via CB10

[dbollman423]

A night vision video recording app for Android called Camara Vision Nocturna has been secretly signing people up for a paid messaging service according to Fast Company.

Antivirus software company Avast announced it discover the flaw when the firm noticed the app was asking permission for unusual tasks such as sending and receiving messages along with accessing certain accounts.

The app would access someone's phone number through a messaging service like WhatsApp and then send that information to a server signing that person up for this unnamed messaging service.

At first, people would be automatically charged ($2.80) but some users noticed they were being charged up to ($50) a month.

Avast's Chief Technical Officer Ond?ej Vl?ek explained to Fast Company how the fees could escalate that high:

"The following month the same process starts again and the user can be charged the same amount again."

If you are one of the unfortunate people who downloaded it, Avast's software can quickly detect the program and remove it.


Posted via CB10

[Ment]

The app was pulled form the Playstore the same day the notice was up on Avast blog. It may still be up on other Android app stores which is why I wouldn't trust apps from those sources, they don't have even rudimentary security practices.

[BriniaSona]

Android is the new windows, all the virus's are there.

[crazigee]

Android is the new windows, all the virus's are there.

In my opinion Android is worse than windows. With the code for Android being open source it's even easier to create exploits like that.

Posted using my Z10 via CB10

[Laura Knotek]

In my opinion Android is worse than windows. With the code for Android being open source it's even easier to create exploits like that.

Posted using my Z10 via CB10

I don't believe open source is the blame for the security issues. Linux is open source yet extremely secure.



Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Tapatalk

[crazigee]

I don't believe open source is the blame for the security issues. Linux is open source yet extremely secure.



Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Tapatalk

Oh really. That's interesting. I learn something new every day.

Thanks.

Posted using my Z10 via CB10

[qwerty4ever]

I don't believe open source is the blame for the security issues. Linux is open source yet extremely secure.



Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Tapatalk

Who said this malicious camera application is open source?

Posted via the BlackBerry Q5 using CB10.

[Ment]

I don't believe open source is the blame for the security issues. Linux is open source yet extremely secure.

Every OS has security issues: a recent one for Linux Critical crypto bug leaves Linux, hundreds of apps open to eavesdropping | Ars Technica

Hundreds of open source packages, including the Red Hat, Ubuntu, and Debian distributions of Linux, are susceptible to attacks that circumvent the most widely used technology to prevent eavesdropping on the Internet, thanks to an extremely critical vulnerability in a widely used cryptographic code library.

[bennelong]

More to the point. People should be wary of similar APKs turning up in the other stores.
If the correct permissions are granted it should work for BB10 also.

Posted via CB10 on a Z10

[Tre Lawrence]

Who said this malicious camera application is open source?

Posted via the BlackBerry Q5 using CB10.

No one. She definitely didn't.

[enik]

Who the hell is dumb enough to download a night vision camera app?

Posted via CB10

[jsmall999]

Same type of person who downloads an app to make their iPhone waterproof

Posted via CB10

[avt123]

Who said this malicious camera application is open source?

Posted via the BlackBerry Q5 using CB10.

You should read the comment she was replying to.

[treaker]

Who the hell is dumb enough to download a night vision camera app?

Posted via CB10

To most people, it's all about the quantity of apps and not about how good the phone is. That's why Apple and Android are so successful. Dumb consumers.

Z10 on Telus

[Tre Lawrence]

To most people, it's all about the quantity of apps and not about how good the phone is. That's why Apple and Android are so successful. Dumb consumers.

Z10 on Telus

That is so off base I doubt you believe it. LOL.

[g33kphr33k]

I don't believe open source is the blame for the security issues. Linux is open source yet extremely secure.



Sent from my Nokia Lumia 920 using Tapatalk

Yes, if using Debian stable branch, but bleeding edge leads to computers with bad immune systems

Android is bleeding all over the place.

Z10 until Z30

[LoneStarRed]

Same type of person who downloads an app to make their iPhone waterproof

Posted via CB10

Wow, that's cool . Will BB ever do an app like that....................lol.

[ALToronto]

Linux has security through obscurity - since it has only about 2% of the desktop OS market, nobody is trying to crack it. Can't say the same about Android.

Posted via CB10

[nah.uhh]

Linux has security through obscurity - since it has only about 2% of the desktop OS market, nobody is trying to crack it. Can't say the same about Android.

Posted via CB10

Not quite.
The biggest Linux distros (fedora, ubuntu, design) are safe.. the repositories (aka the app store) on the respective distributions are open source and the source is checked before anything can be uploaded to the repository. Google, nor does blackberry read the source code of uploaded apps before approving them in their respective app stores.

Long story short.. if running ubuntu and you only use the default repository (app store) everything has been checked and is guaranteed to be safe.

Anybody installing questionable stuff is going to be susceptible to infection, on any distribution including bb10

[BruvvaPete]

Linux has security through obscurity - since it has only about 2% of the desktop OS market, nobody is trying to crack it. Can't say the same about Android.

Posted via CB10

Myth Busted

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10...dows_vs_linux/

@BruvvaPete

[crackbrry fan]

And the people still want mindless mind-numbing apps! Yay!!


Posted via CB10

[mnc76]

More to the point. People should be wary of similar APKs turning up in the other stores.
If the correct permissions are granted it should work for BB10 also.

Posted via CB10 on a Z10

For some reason though, Crackberry refuses to speak to the community on this issue as a public service announcement.

In fact they do the exact opposite and actively ENCOURAGE Crackberry users to use 3rd party app stores.

Not a responsible thing for, what is otherwise a great and respectable site, to do IMO.

Posted via CB10

[g33kphr33k]

For some reason though, Crackberry refuses to speak to the community on this issue as a public service announcement.

In fact they do the exact opposite and actively ENCOURAGE Crackberry users to use 3rd party app stores.

Not a responsible thing for, what is otherwise a great and respectable site, to do IMO.

Posted via CB10

Crackberry have warned many times about using unofficial stores and nearly every article states a warning with a "but if you want to try it, here's how".



Z10 until Z30

[bennelong]

It's a very complex issue... and I believe it's dealt with reasonably well here in the form of user opinion.
Yet it would be a good idea for some of the more knowledgeable members (re: APKs) to publish a thread mentioning some of the App Stores which should be avoided at all costs.
There are clearly stores out there with less reputation to protect.



Posted via CB10 on a Z10