Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain_Obvious
My question to Android users is simply, how to tell if a program is malware in disguise. I've been reading a lot of scare stories recently about Android being plagued with malware and have been a bit more paranoid about it. Apparently, unless an app is in the Android market, you really can't trust it seems to be the recurring suggestion. Unfortunately, that's not an option at the moment with the Vox. The apps I have downloaded were from the websites that I trusted, like opera and overdrive. However, almost everything else uses the market. My worry with the Kobo getjar app is that it doesn't provide the publisher information before downloading the app. So I have no way of knowing where the app came from or if it's malware disguised as the app I want. Of course, It's entirely possible that those articles have just made me excessively paranoid. If that's the case let me know :-P
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You can get a software security suite like McAfee's or AVG's.... or you could keep an eye on permissions either during installation, or after you've installed an app (by going into Settings -> Applications -> clicking on the App and then looking at the permissions it needs).
Android tells you what an app needs access to do before you install it; that's good, as that means that you have an idea whether it might be malware or not. Apps that are malicious in Android, just like in Windows, don't go out to tell you that they're sending 60000 text messages or sending all your contact to spammers. What they WILL tell you on install is what access to what hardware or software is required for it to install, so you have an idea of whether it might be 'bad'.
Let me put it this way: an application that's designed to replace the Home screen and standard Launcher will need access to do everything on the phone, especially if it's meant to start up the Phone program or the Contacts list. A Live Wallpaper (animated wallpaper) does NOT need all these permissions; unless it's pulling ads off the Internet to display somewhere it doesn't need to go online, nor does it need to be able to make outgoing calls, send text messages, or read and copy your Contacts list.
GetJar's pretty safe, since they contact developers, IIRC, to get them to put apps up on their site. APKTop and others are where you need to watch yourself.
In the end, you may want to look at what the app does, then what it asks to do - if it's asking for more Permissions to do things that don't seem reasonable for its function (Kobo would need Internet permission to download new books and Modify Storage permissions to copy or delete them from the SD card, but wouldn't need access to the Phone software or to send text messages), then don't install it.