Software antivirus company Kaspersky Lab has spotted the first Trojan that is targeted towards Smartphones running the Google Android operating system.

Kaspersky Lab is one of the largest software antivirus companies operating in the computer security sector and has named the Trojan SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a. This particular Trojan has played havoc with a number of mobile phone devices, and the efforts of Kaspersky Lab is in the hope that fewer users will be affected in the future.

The Trojan runs under the disguise as a media player application; for users this seems harmless and so once they are prompted to download it, the file is installed with what is known as the standard Android extension: .APK. However, harmless it is now. Once it is on the phone, the Trojan starts to send SMSs to premium rate numbers. This all done without the user’s knowledge, and this means money is passed from their account to the account of a cybercriminal.

With Smartphones becoming more and more popular, this kind of SMS category of Trojan has become more and more prolific. This specific Trojan is the first to target the Android platform, however, and spyware has also been detected in some devices that run Android in the past.

Denis Maslennikov, Mobile Research Group Manager at Kaspersky Lab, says “The IT market research and analysis organisation IDC has noted that those selling devices running Android are experiencing the highest growth in sales among smartphone manufacturers. As a result, we can expect to see a corresponding rise in the amount of malware targeting that platform.

“Kaspersky Lab is actively developing technologies and solutions to protect this operating system and plans to release Kaspersky Mobile Security for Android in early 2011.”

As with any computer, users have been encouraged by software antivirus company Kaspersky Lab to check out any download that an application may request.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Computer security outfit Kaspersky Lab is acting as title sponsor of the Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition.

Setting out in November, 2009, The Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition is an all-female affair with eight women from the Commonwealth countries of Cyprus, Ghana, India, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Jamaica and the UK taking part. The contingent of intrepid explorers will ski more than 900 km from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. The team will be exposed to temperatures as low as -40С, despite global warning.

And there will be a number of ‘firsts’ for the team: the ladies from Brunei, Cyprus, Ghana and Jamaica will be the first from their nations to ski to the South Pole, whilst those from India, New Zealand and Singapore will be the first women from their nations to do so.

The expedition is designed to attract public attention to the problems of the degrading Antarctic environment, whereas Kaspersky Lab’s participation will, in their won words, demonstrate the company’s corporate responsibility and also increase public awareness of changes to the global climate.

The leader of the expedition is Felicity Aston from the UK and she said:
“We are thrilled to be working with Kaspersky Lab … an international group that recognizes the importance of working across nations and cultures to tackle global issues – be that computer malware or the effects of climate change. Kaspersky Lab and the expedition share the same pioneering spirit so I am sure that we will make a great team.”

Harry Cheung, Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab Asia Pacific, agreed, stating:
“The Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition is an important awareness initiative and a remarkable team effort. Kaspersky Lab’s support for such projects is part of our corporate social responsibility policy. Our company shares the ideas and principles of international solidarity that have made this expedition possible. Just like the expedition team, we ignore stereotypes and prejudices in our work and recognize the reality of the modern world. We are honoured to sponsor the Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition.”

The expedition stats are quite impressive, representing as it does five continents, six faiths and seven languages. The expedition has a fundamental aim to reflect the ethos of the Commonwealth by promoting greater understanding and cooperation between nations and to highlight the achievements of women worldwide. The Commonwealth itself is an association of 53 nations incorporating more than two billion people around the globe and this expedition coincides with its 60th year in existence.

With a kick-off in November, 2009, the ladies hope to be at the South Pole in time to celebrate New Year’s Day 2010. Those interested can follow the expedition in real time at www.kasperskycommonwealthexpedition.com using interactive maps, podcasts, and Twitter messages.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Top computer security company Kaspersky has announced the release of its consumer products Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2010.

Both products boast an advanced technology which is based on a host intrusion system in the control module which recognises an unknown piece of malware code and assigns it a security rating. And both were developed to work well alongside Microsoft Windows operating system Vista.

They also feature a unique technology called ‘sandbox’, which allows a user to run a dedicated and secure runtime environment.

This is a clever strategy for running new software in effectively an isolated environment which means that should it contain hidden and malicious viruses, will protect the computer’s central operating system. Web surfing actioned within this safe environment will be shown by a green border, which tells the user they are with the protected zone.

Kaspersky also claim that they have improved their security network. When the programme is run, it is checked against a Kaspersky white list on their servers. This checks out the programmes threat level and it is assigned a rating in terms of security.

Kaspersky Chief Executive Officer Eugene Kaspersky, said:

“It’s not only the very latest innovative technologies such as the ‘sandbox’ and the Safe Run option that set the new versions of our personal products apart but also the highly intuitive and user-friendly interface.

“Now, configuring a computer security system poses no problems for novice users, while professionals have a lot more functions at their disposal that are more clearly and logically structured. Our aim is that all types of computer users enjoy a safer place on the internet.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Security outfit Kaspersky reports that it has discovered a fresh version of the malicious virus Sinowal which represents a very sophisticated threat and computer users should be on their guard. It’s also employs a new method which is being used for the first time by cyber criminals.

Sinowal, also known as Torpig, has the ability to hide itself by contaminating the master boot record (MBR), which is part of a computer’s hard drive. The MBR is the lowest level of the operating system and by sitting here, it effectively by-passes the anti-virus software.

Sinowal is a botnet forming virus which is designed to exploit weaknesses in websites. One of its most recent victims has been the security hole in the Adobe Acrobat Reader of PDF software.

Sinowal is particularly sophisticated on one level, yet quite simple on another, turning it into a long term enemy of the security experts for many years.

Kaspersky admitted that for many computer users, being infiltrated by Sinowal and its variants was inevitable. Sinowal was adept at creating botnets which would later allow trojans onto the infected computers.

The security firm recommended that anti-virus software be kept stringently up-to-date and that should Sinowal be discovered, special instructions had to be followed in order to remove it.

Guest Article by Neil Camp