Tag Archive for: adware

Microsoft beefs up security products to block adware

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Microsoft is adding a new opt-in defense for enterprises to block adware, which is often sneakily wrapped into free downloads.

Adware is often classified as a potentially unwanted application, or PUA, an industry term for applications that aren’t necessarily malware but could be a security or performance risk.

“These applications can increase the risk of your network being infected with malware, cause malware infections to be harder to identify among the noise, and can waste helpdesk, IT, and user time cleaning up the applications,” according to a Microsoft blog post.

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Adware flare-up another blow for Android security – ITProPortal

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ITProPortal

Adware flare-up another blow for Android security
ITProPortal
Android has suffered another security blow with the discovery of new strains of malware which cannot be removed and some of which are even immune to factory resets. The Trojan Adware hides inside clones of popular apps such as Facebook, Twitter and …
Android Security Alert: This Malware Is Nearly Impossible To RemoveTop Tech News
This Malware Is almost Impossible To Remove — Android Security AlertThe Weather Space

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New type of auto-rooting Android adware is nearly impossible to remove

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(credit: UCR Today)

Researchers have uncovered a new type of Android adware that’s virtually impossible to uninstall, exposes phones to potentially dangerous root exploits, and masquerades as one of thousands of different apps from providers such as Twitter, Facebook, and even Okta, a two-factor authentication service.

The researchers have found more than 20,000 samples of trojanized apps that repackage the code or other features found in official apps available in Google Play and then are posted to third-party markets. From the end user’s perspective, the modified apps look just like the legitimate apps, and in many cases they provide the same functionality and experience. Behind the scenes, however, the apps use powerful exploits that gain root access to the Android operating system. The exploits—found in three app families known as Shedun, Shuanet, and ShiftyBug—allow the trojanized apps to install themselves as system applications, a highly privileged status that’s usually reserved only for operating system-level processes.

“For individuals, getting infected with Shedun, Shuanet, and ShiftyBug might mean a trip to the store to buy a new phone,” researchers from mobile security firm Lookout wrote in a blog post published Wednesday. “Because these pieces of adware root the device and install themselves as system applications, they become nearly impossible to remove, usually forcing victims to replace their device in order to regain normalcy.”

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