Android App battery app gives you a Russian bride

@ 2012/07/30
Insecurity outfit Symantec has warned that an Android mobile application which claims to save your phones power, actually serves up a Russian bride site instead.

According to the Japan Times, the malware is called Denchi Nagamochi (For Longer Battery Life), the application is advertised as allowing you to make your battery last twice as long.

But really it harvests all your personal data and gives it to a website which is interested in letting you meet the woman of your dreams from Russia.

While you might be happy with your eventual choice, your Android phone will drain its battery as fast as it ever did.

Symantec snarled that the app "takes advantage" of users' desire for longer battery time.

It warns that users should beware of applications which do something different from what they say they do.

Smartphone users first receive an email message featuring the application.

When it is downloaded a message pops up saying the application is not compatible with the type of smartphone in use. Meanwhile it has extracted all the names, phone numbers and email addresses on a user's address book.

The whole thing was a sting run by a group running the "dating site".

Symantec says the personal data are believed to have been collected by the group in order to send email messages about the dating site to potential customers.

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