Android search engine manipulation trojan dissected
A rash of Google Android malware has appeared in recent weeks, causing one security researcher to dissect how one nasty piece of code, Android.Adrd - a search engine manipulation trojan - functions, and compare it to another piece of malware, Android.Geinimi.
According to Takashi Katsuki, a security researcher with Symantec Asia-Pacific, Android.Adrd is unique in being the first Android operating system trojan whose purpose is search engine manipulation.
Propagation of Adrd and Geinimi, he says, is via pirated software, which allows the author to 'trojanise' the Android device and so deliver malicious content on top of clean content. "Both threats register themselves to run at boot time. Android.Adrd also registers itself when a phone call is made or network connectivity settings are changed", he says in his latest security blog.
