‘Android malware making accelerated progress’

Researchers at Symantec have noted that Android malware is progressing at an accelerated rate in recent times.

In a recent blog entry, a security researcher wrote: “Often, malicious apps gain control of a system in several steps, using different modules. There is typically only one initial module which, once it gets executed, either drops some embedded modules or downloads other modules and installs them to achieve its full range of mischievous behaviour.’’

The Symantec employee wrote that since users have limited visibility when installing packages, especially when “side-loading’’ (manually installing packages or installing from non-official app markets), most Android malware simply include the payload either as a raw resource or as an asset in their own package.

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