Spammers
We all hate them. First, for me, it was snail mail. Then email. Then I started getting texts that were spam. The latest was last night when my Amazon App Store app on the phone said there were updates available. Clicked on it to update the WordPress for Android app. Immediately, the screen went to the WordPress app where it had generated a spam post in word press for me to publish. Something about we were at some market. In my haste to get the bug off the phone, I didn’t explore it as much as I should have. Anyone experience that?
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:34 am
Hmmm…no, I haven’t seen that – I have an iPhone.
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:35 am
Yeah, no malicious apps on my iPhone so far…
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:40 am
Uh huh.
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:51 am
Especially interesting that seems to have been spread by the Amazon app store, which in theory is supposed to be more of a walled garden to prevent that sort of thing.
There is and never will be a programmable system that is fully secure, we just have to be vigilant.
November 23rd, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Unc, you’re linked search is a little lacking. It’s 2011 man, no 2009.
You sure have a hard on against apple crap.
November 23rd, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Nope. I have an iPhone. Sure sucks here in my walled garden where everything works.
November 23rd, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Is it because iPhones don’t run Flash? 😉
November 23rd, 2011 at 1:34 pm
I do enjoy the rants that Uncle goes on against apple. It’s the exact same ones I’ve heard from people that at one point or another get an iphone, ipad, imac, whatever and end up absolutely loving to use it.
Uncle has clearly never used an iPhone or an iPad to any serious degree. When he does I expect his attitude to change. Until then, the rants against apple are just too stereotypical… still funny though.
In the meantime, enjoy your Anrdoid phone. Hell, I’d actually recommend Windows7mobile over the current state of android.
November 23rd, 2011 at 1:43 pm
I have an iPhone and it is by no means a perfect device. On Sunday it decided to stop reading my SIM card and would cause me to either have no bars, full bars, no network available or no SIM installed. I called AT&T and walked through their tech support which entailed trying to call or text me. I was then told to call Apple. Apple doesn’t work on Sundays and if I wanted to chat with them later I could make an appointment and then pay a one time or annual fee in case something like this happens again. The iPhone is now working again after turning it off and swearing at it under my breath. This will be my last Apple product I purchase.
November 23rd, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Southpaw, sounds like you just needed to do a hard reboot.
November 23rd, 2011 at 2:04 pm
SouthpawByNW, you had one bad phone. I’ve had 4 iphones now everyone has been fine. So what? Right?
The topic at hand here is that spammers exploited an Android flaw, but it doesn’t effect iPhone because of a difference in theory/execution of the two platforms.
Uncle is repeatedly mocking iPhone for this very reason.
November 23rd, 2011 at 2:12 pm
Mocking? no. Pointing out its limitations, sure. Android has some too, such as potential weaknesses from being a more open system.
November 23rd, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Thing is… Unless your referring to apple as a close system in that you can not officially modify the OS then I have to ask, what is it you want for functionality that Android does offer?
Apps are apps on both. I don’t consider apple a completely closed platform either way. Jailbreak if you need a core change but most people don’t need that.
I would have thought you would realize the concept and issues with designed by commitiy approach that android uses. It always yields a Toyota Corolla.
Persoanlly, I’d rather have the BMW with less aftermarket support knowing that if anything goes wrong, the roads won’t be available for anyone.
November 23rd, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Seriously, Unc.
A Google search link is a pretty low bar.
“We” don’t accept evidence like that from VPC – which is why “we” shouldn’t use it ourselves.
(Especially when the first hits are “you can get a virus scanner now!” and “can I get a virus?”.
Or for very short-lived exploits from years ago, some of which seem to have been fixed before being revealed.
Yes, all platforms will occasionally have such a thing – but Jay’s point was about mailicious apps, a totally different thing.)
November 23rd, 2011 at 5:26 pm
It might have been a case of location marketing running in tandem with the update process, especially if at some time (signing up for a discount card?) you gave the store your cell number.
Nowadays a vendor with a good geek behind him can set an electronic “fence” to trigger an action. They can input the GPS coordinates of the center of the store (or the front door) and set things so that if a registered customer phone number comes within X feet, a message is sent. While this is typically a note on sales that day or an electronic coupon, no reason that a message that would open an electronic coupon couldn’t instead send you to a page that looked like an app with pre-filled information.
If that’s what you ran across, Apple products won’t be immune either.
EVERYTHING gets exploited. Most FAX machine makers didn’t want to put in features for automatic information with the originating FAX number and a voice number you could reach the sender. Cheaper for them to leave that out and let people put it on their cover sheets. Those features exist on every FAX machine because of federal laws about FAX. Those laws exist because before Spamford Wallace was the Spam King, he was the Broadcast FAX king. Location-based marketing to your phone is the next iteration.
November 23rd, 2011 at 5:52 pm
I’m an EE, and while I would not even remotely call myself an expert on phones (I’m convinced RF is black magic in it’s simplest form). I think you are very mistaken about this:
“and set things so that if a registered customer phone number comes within X feet, a message is sent.”
NO. That’s just not how it works. Not sure where this came from. This would mean your phone is freely transmitting that it’s “here”. That does happen for network/tower tracking, but that’s just the IMEI number. IMEI is only revserable to phone number (for privacy reasons) by the telcos. A retailer (without breaking lots of laws) can not possibly tell that you are near based on the number your phone has.
That said, any illusion that this is on-topic to spam or apple is severely reaching imo. But, I could be wrong.
November 23rd, 2011 at 6:35 pm
Other Steve,
One of the local malls will be running a cell phone tracking system this holiday season. They want to know where people go in the mall and when they go there. The only way out is to turn the phone off.
Tell me that’s not a prelude to what Beregond’s talking about.
November 23rd, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Diomed… I’m disappointed in you. While I know most people only read half an article I expect better of you. You’re like an NFA Representative.
FootPath is the system you guys are talking about which SPECIFICALLY does not look at the IMEI, Phone Number, or any personal data from a cell phone. It legally can’t. It’s a sensor that only picks up the signal strength in the quad bands that cell phones use. More signal strength/attenuation = more cell phones. This can tell retailers like malls which entrances are most popular or how long peak shopping lasts, but CAN NOT tell when YOU have entered or left somewhere.
The word “TRACK” should not even slightly be used. And certainly not in the context that Beregond went on about.
If you’re concerned your phone is being used to let companies know that “A” phone is near or X number of phones are in an area, you should best take that phone and smash it immediately. Because that’s been going on forever at the network level. Iphone or Android.
November 24th, 2011 at 12:55 am
It’s called open-source software http://wmpoweruser.com/androids-malware-monopoly-continues-472-increase-in-android-malware-since-july/
November 24th, 2011 at 10:33 am
Count me on the Apple-h8r team as well.
They suck to do business with, as it is with all monopolies. They are a completely marketing-driven company, that bullies consumers into doing things Apple’s way. They build products with the express purpose of forcing consumers to trade them up on a schedule that Apple determines.
Don’t be sheep, people. Stop supporting companies that enslave you.
November 25th, 2011 at 12:15 am
Ok, so that’s two people in the apple hate camp (dude, Monoploy? Really? Look that term up).
And the rest of us own iPhones or ipads. 🙂
November 25th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
Apple’s not hard to hate. After all, many of the capitalist-hating Occupiers have Apple gear, but they all hate the Apple bidsnez model…
Check the performance of Apple stock vs. MicroSquish stock.
Apple is an American success story, ya gotta give them that.