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Instagram Android clone contains malware, ramps up your phone bill

Instagram Android clone contains malware, ramps up your phone bill

Posted: 19 Apr 2012, 07:40, by Nick T.

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Instagram Android clone contains malware, ramps up your phone bill

We have seen this happen before – an app goes viral, after which malicious clones plague the web trying to steal your personal data, or worse. Such is the case with Instagram: only about a week after the app was released on Android, a fake version of it has emerged from the depths of the Russian interwebs.

The bogus Instagram Android app is (or at lest was) available for download from a third-party web site, not from the Google Play store. Once installed, it attempts connecting to Russian networks, after which it sends text messages in the background to premium phone numbers, effectively generating money for the bad guys.

Not long ago, something pretty similar happened with Angry Birds Space. Several fake copies of the game stated circulating the web, and although they behaved like the actual game, the clones contained malware cleverly disguised as a JPEG file. A mischievous clone of Madden NFL 12 was also spotted in the wild several months ago.

In conclusion, we will reiterate that the Google Play store is the most reliable source for Android apps around. Downloading software from third-party sources always poses certain risks that might just not be worth taking.

source: Sophos via Android Authority

21 Comments

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posted on 19 Apr 2012, 08:09 3

1. taz89 (Posts: 2014; Member since: 03 May 2011)

well if youi dont download apps from known or trusted sources,than you should not be surprised...if you download anything such as ios/android apps,mac/pc softwares/movies,music etc that are not from trusted sources than getting malware is kind of obvious....someone reading just the title would think that the play store itself has the instagram clone there fore giving people the idea that the playstore is full of viruses.

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 08:20 1

2. Zayuh24 (Posts: 149; Member since: 21 Nov 2011)

Agreed. Why download anything from a site you barely know about? Does credibility mean nothing nowadays? Sheesh

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 08:33 4

4. taz89 (Posts: 2014; Member since: 03 May 2011)

it seems like google play store gets the heat even though most of these fake apps appear on illegal sites...

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 08:47

7. protozeloz (Posts: 5396; Member since: 16 Sep 2010)

and someone questioned the word Malware, as if being used imporpetly because android apps TELL the user

http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/18/2958198/the-green-scare-android-malware

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 08:37 1

6. protozeloz (Posts: 5396; Member since: 16 Sep 2010)

specially when the app is free worldwide ON the Play Store......

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 08:33

5. GENARAL.LEVY (banned) (Posts: 93; Member since: 17 Apr 2012)

Did anyone download load this?

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 08:56

8. iamcc (Posts: 1319; Member since: 07 Oct 2011)

I did. Right after I bought a set of speakers from some guy who said they just fell off a truck! I got them for 90% off!

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 09:06

9. GENARAL.LEVY (banned) (Posts: 93; Member since: 17 Apr 2012)

What a century bargain....

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 09:29 3

10. good2great (Posts: 1042; Member since: 22 Feb 2012)

android is free right? well this is what happens... typical

95% of smartphone users aren't smart like us. we research and make sure things are legit before downloading... thats only 5% of us tho...

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 10:16 3

14. protozeloz (Posts: 5396; Member since: 16 Sep 2010)

80% users that wont search outside of the market.... when you have a tap of an icon away from instagram (Play store) why you you do the following steps

android ,market
-open market
-type instagram
-install

VS random site

-open a browser
-type instagram
-skip the ovious play store link that appears on top of your search or the instagram web pay
-look for random site that has hosted the bogus file
-download it to your phone
-enable 3rd party uploads
-install

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 09:30 3

11. eaxvac (Posts: 328; Member since: 15 Jan 2012)

Lol spydroid

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 11:13

17. GENARAL.LEVY (banned) (Posts: 93; Member since: 17 Apr 2012)

Lol you TROLL.......

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 14:09

21. Sniggly (Posts: 7305; Member since: 05 Dec 2009)

Oh hi there, dumbass! How are you today? I just wanted to point out, because you probably didn't read the article, but a user has to change a default setting and go download this malware off a Site other than the market to even get it. In other words, a user has to be about as big a dumbass as you are. Just trying to help.

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 18:49

22. Non_Sequitur (Posts: 1111; Member since: 16 Mar 2012)

God damn it. Stop going around posting spydroid, no one thinks you are cool or funny. You have to be as dumb as an iPhone user to download malware. Apple knows it, that's why they filter all apps on their store.

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 09:32 4

12. RaKithAPeiRiZ (Posts: 1488; Member since: 29 Dec 2011)

illuminati

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 11:18

18. GENARAL.LEVY (banned) (Posts: 93; Member since: 17 Apr 2012)

Yeap.....

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 09:58 2

13. kickinbass (Posts: 26; Member since: 17 Aug 2011)

Thats the inly thing i dislike about android system is the apk download problems. Please get this resolved Google. This is what is hurting the Os. Its too easy to creat fraudulent apps

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 10:21 3

15. protozeloz (Posts: 5396; Member since: 16 Sep 2010)

as long as you have the option disabled no app can get through. unless you have the sudden urge to enable it and randomly install apps from not trusted sources..... SMH

posted on 19 Apr 2012, 10:57 1

16. StalkinUrMom (Posts: 111; Member since: 16 Apr 2012)

I download a bunch of apps from the Getjar store, would you guys consider that a reliable source? X: