Symantec Finds Rogue Dog Wars Android App with Hacktivist Agenda

Symantec has discovered a newfound Trojan malware app circulating for the Android Osmium. The app is a knave version of a disputable app involving dog fighting, and is aimed at sending a hacktivist message.

Dog Wars is a game that involves nurture your dog to be the most vicious frump on the electrical circuit and pickings on other virtual dogs in fights to the death. The app itself is offensive to many another–in fact, information technology prides itself on being so rousing that you would never find something like it on the iPhone app store.

Android warning — Make up careful where you get your Android apps from, and make sure they don't have malware.

The app sparked whatever backlash from animal activists that wanted the developer to voluntarily pull information technology. Those protests landed happening deaf ears, so apparently some more than resourceful animal activists definite to make up a rogue interpretation to effort and publicly shame users World Health Organization partake the barbaric game.

When you install the knave app it asks for various permissions to access information on your Android device. Erst installed, it looks almost identical to the tangible deal take out for one valuable difference that should be a tinge at the motives behind the malware adaptation. The icon for the factual Go after Wars app has the word "Beta" written at the lower right of the icon, while the rogue version says "Peta" instead.

A Symantec spokesperson explains that once you start the app, the Trojan horse kicks into action. "Using software program packages and services aptly named "Dogbite" and "Hydrophobia," it maiden sends out the following textbook substance to everyone along the tangency lists of infected devices: "I take pleasure in hurting small animals, just thought you should know that."," adding, "The threat and so goes one step farther by attempting to record compromised devices for a text substance alert service operated aside PETA."

As a side greenbac, there is actually an app in the iPhone App Store called Dog Wars. However, it is absolutely nothing like this ane and it is completely unrelated. The iPhone version is apparently a different sort of attempt to prey on those superficial to viciously fight dogs, but it just makes stupid barking noises.

Personally, I don't realise dog fighting as any more expressed or offensive than assassinating people in Contract Killer, or shot multitude in the head from bimestrial zero in Sniper. If you are passing to download Dog Wars, cost careful where you get it from and pay attention to make sure you don't throw the Trojan malware version.

The good news for Google and for about Humanoid users is that this hacktivist malware app does not appear to have infiltrated the official Android Market.