New class of visual (smartphone) malware

PlaceRaider: The Military Smartphone Malware Designed to Steal Your Life.

-- Tom

 

I would definitely want an on/off switch that physically disconnects the battery. Which doesn't exactly fit with common smartphone usage scenarios, but I'd deal with that aspect.

 

Revealed: The Most Disturbing Malware Ever Made.

Article

 

Apps that require "keep awake" via permissions, would probably boot the malware once you reconnected the battery, assuming you had this on your phone.
A decent security app and something that hunts this stuff of which there is little. Back up you data often and get to know how to recover from a reset.

 

"Smart" Phones are getting DANGEROUSLY "Smart"...

 

Yes, I don't think a real power switch will keep malware from running when the device is on. I was basically thinking out loud that there is no reliable way to prevent malware, phone and/or OS vendor backdoors, etc from collecting information while the phone has power. An opaque, sound muffling, RF shielded pouch might be a fallback solution.

 

Android trojan spatially `cases’ offices and homes in 3D for burglars

• Article

 

It all begins with an infection.
Don't get it and nothing happens.
Afterward, it's all unimportant.
Mrk

 

Yes, evidently (or) crappy protection.

That's self-evident

Assuming one knows the guts of what we are referring to, many don't - that is why I'm driving such topics here as many have Smartphones and want to learn more.

 

No problem learning more. But smartphones are identical to any other computing device from the security perspective. This is the important thing to discuss. Once people realize that, you can have a reasonable security strategy in place.

Discussing POST-infection scenarios is like discussing what can happen to a human body after the car crashes into a wall at 100mph. Whereas the focus should be how to avoid crashing in the first place. You can control that part, not the second.

Same here. Smarthpones, computers, do not get infected and then even the most ultra-sophisticated malware becomes irrelevant.

Crappy protection on smartphones? Well, no less or more than desktop operating systems. You're actually locked down, you have vendor app markets, most devices do not give root, so you're probably better off than a typical desktop.

Mrk