Majority of Mobile Malware Now Reliant On Toll Fraud 39
CowboyRobot writes "Spyware is no longer the primary concern with unwanted software on mobile devices. According to mobile security firm Lookout, most mobile malware performs 'toll fraud' — billing victims using premium SMS services. The problem is very geographically-dependent, worst in areas with weak SMS regulation, particularly China, Ukraine, and Russia, where users are 10,000 times more likely to have malware on their phones than users in Japan, for example. Other risks include mobile ads surreptitiously uploading personal data, as well as apps that download other malware without users knowing. The full report is available."
Re:But... (Score:2, Informative)
The Netherlands is in comparison pretty socialist, and it has a below average infection of malware, and you can smoke pot legally, and it has an above average IQ of 102!
(source for last statement: http://www.sq.4mg.com/NationIQ.htm [4mg.com] )
Woo!
Re:Why do we even need a system for premium rate S (Score:2, Informative)
Actually I use it for quite a few things.
-) Paying parking fees. You just send a text with the amount if time you want to book and you can extend it without going to your car too. Getting the parking fee coupons on paper is a major PITA, you can only buy them in
-) Paying for the washing mashine at my student dorm.
You can also:
-) Buy tickets for public transport.
So it is quite usefull and I have not heard of any abuse using malware in my country. It only works for national numbers and therefore any fraud could be quickly prosecuted.