For as long as there has been advertising on the Internet there has been a fuzzy line dividing subterfuge and acceptable tricks to attract clicks. The problem of distinguishing between the legitimate and illegitimate now appears to have extended to smartphone apps as well. Symantec, the world’s largest maker of computer security software, announced that it had discovered 13 apps containing a Trojan horse it called “Android.Counterclank” that could steal information from users. A number of the infected apps, it said, were available on the Android Market. The threat was described by a number of sources including eWeek:

Symantec counts anywhere from 1 million to 5 million combined downloads of the malware, spanning 13 different application titles. Android.Counterclank is a variant of the Android.Tonclank Trojan horse. Like Tonclank, Counterclank steals information and may open a back door on Android smartphones and tablets for perpetrators to conduct other malicious actions. However, Counterclank may also be exploited to download more files and display advertisements on mobile devices. Counterclank latches on to the main application in a package known as the “apperhand.” When that package is run, a service with the same name may be seen running on a compromised device.

It seems that as long as customers prefer to download advertising-supported apps developers will continue to push the boundaries of what is acceptable to maximize their returns. If you are concerned that you may have downloaded an app that has crossed the line, Symantec has published a list of those it says are infected by Android.Counterclank.

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