Scams target smartphones and utility company customers

Taking Back the ID: Identity theft prevention analysis

On Jan. 7, SC Magazine reported that IntelCrawler, a cybercrime research company in Los Angeles, detected a new type of malware, "XXXX.apk," which has infected close to 24,000 smartphones. (See Thousands of smartphones infected with 'spy' malware, by Tim Ring.)

The smartphone brands infected so far, according to IntelCrawler in Ring's article, include the HTC Sensation and Amaze 4G, the Google Nexus, the Samsung GT I9300 and Galaxy Note II SCH-I605. He writes that malware also has been found on the LG Motion 4G (MS770), Huawei U8665 and Alcatel One Touch. No doubt, other brands will be infected over time.

At this point, according to IntelCrawler in the SC Magazine article, cybercriminals are using the XXXX.apk malware for spying on individuals; collecting technical information about each of their smartphones, including its location, "phone model, encryption method, password, use of Wi-Fi networks"; and to act as "zombies" to collect data about surrounding hotspots.