SpamSoldier: The new Android botnet discovered across major carriers

If you are fan of Angry Bird, then this may be of concern to you. A spam specifically targeting Android smartphones is said to be sending messages or adverts about popular paid games like Angry Bird Space, offering the free versions.

No indication yet if it has reach our shore, but already detected on all major US carriers. So, Samsung, HTC, Sony smartphone users, Be Warned.

Nyum, nyum, nyum!

Check out this security alert by Lookout: SpamSoldier

A new Android spam botnet has been discovered that uses infected phones to send thousands of SMS messages without the user’s permission. While the threat is not (yet) widespread, it has already been spotted on all major US carriers and has the potential to make a big impact at the network level if it isn’t dealt with soon.

On December 3, security firm Lookout detected the threat, which it dubbed SpamSoldier, in cooperation with one of its unnamed carrier partners. It spreads through SMS messages (it has not yet been detected on any major app stores) that advertise free versions of popular paid games like Angry Birds Space.


How it works

After the user taps on a link from one of these SMS messages, their phone downloads an app that claims to install the game. Instead, SpamSoldier opens and removes its icon from the launcher to cover its tracks. It then immediately starts sending spam messages.

SpamSoldier also attempts to keep the user in the dark by hiding evidence of its malicious activity. It also installs a free version of the game in question to keep users unaware of what is really happening. Furthermore, outgoing spam messages are removed from the list and the malware even attempts to intercept incoming SMS replies to the spam it sends.


Source

Study: Swedes are most Internet savvy

Question: Which country is the best at putting the Web to use?

Answer : the U.S.

Very close, but not quite. That would be Sweden, according to a new report spearheaded by Tim Berners-Lee, the guy who basically invented the World Wide Web, WWW. I know many Americans would not agree to this, but hey this is just one study. Take it with a pinch of salt, if you like.

The Web Index is the measure of the Web’s use, utility and impact on people and nations.

U.S. is second best country in the world for using the internet

The United States came in second place on the much-anticipated study, which was published online Wednesday by the World Wide Web Foundation.

Called the Web Index, the first-of-its-kind report ranked 61 countries across seven categories, including communications infrastructure, Web use, Web content and the political, social and economic impact of the Internet in those countries.

The group, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, collected five years of data from other sources and spent a year conducting surveys to arrive at its conclusions. The report was funded in full by a $1 million grant from Google. Yemen, the violence-plagued Middle Eastern country, ranked last on the list, behind Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso, both in Africa.

Overall, one in three people worldwide use the Internet, according to the report. But Web use is uneven. Only one in six Africans use the Web.

Sweden beat out the United States on the ranking in part because a smaller percentage of Americans are online. About three-quarters of American are Internet users, compared with about 90% of Sweden's population. Meanwhile, "the U.S. has a lower percentage of households with personal computers than a raft of countries, including Canada, Ireland, Japan and Norway," the report says.

The United States "also offers slower bandwidth per Internet user than a range of countries, most notably Iceland, Sweden and Singapore."

The United States is No. 1 in terms of access to Web content, which the report measures in terms of the number of Wikipedia articles in a particular language as well as "the type of data and information that is accessible on the Web in each country."

Iceland topped the list in terms of its Internet infrastructure and Web use. Nearly 96% of people in that country use the Internet, according to the report.

Singapore has the world's fastest Internet, and Ireland's economy benefits the most from the Web. Internet and communications-related exports accounted for 15% of its gross domestic product between 2007 and 2010, which the report says puts it "exponentially ahead of any other nation." - CNN

Dark blue and purple ones scored highest and red the lowest

In summary, the report says:

1. Google granted $1 million to fund this report
2. The Web Index report ranked 61 countries and Sweden is best at using Internet
3. The U.S. comes second
4. Yemen ranked last on the list, behind Zimbabwe (both in Africa)
5. On average, 1 in 3 people worldwide use the Internet (in Africa only 1 in 6)
6. The U.S. is No. 1 in terms of access to Web content
7. Iceland is No. 1 in terms of its Internet infrastructure and Web use
8. Singapore (ranked 11 in the Web Index) has the world's fastest Internet
9. ASEAN nations ranking:

Singapore (11th), Philippines (32nd), Indonesia (34th), Thailand (37th), Vietnam (47th)

To see the complete list, visit the Web Index.


How about Malaysia?

Now, where's Malaysia? Why isn't Malaysia included in the report?

Currently, household broadband penetration in Malaysia is 63.95%, so, we should sit somewhere between 20th and 30th place. As for Sabah, broadband penetration is about 35%, that is way below the national average.