McAfee: Google Play Houses ''Risky'' Apps, More

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ALANMAN

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I think McAfee is a crap company. At work I see client PCs with problems associated with McAfee's AV products regularly. Apparently they think everything is a virus; McAfee's products have in more than one instance had an update that blocks all HTTP traffic. The only solutions were uninstall it (gladly) or have the client wait until it's patched.
 

dalethepcman

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75% were downloaded from google play. To me that says mcafee has a 755 false positive rate. Everything listed here doesn't actually work and is not a threat. This is more scare tactics trying to generate buzz about android being "unsafe" which should in turn generate McAfee revenue.

Defining a "risky" app as one that steals (uses) personal data and location data. Well that rules out 99.9% of all android and iOS apps as "risky."

Drive by app installs? Don't turn on third party app installs, your not supposed to unless you know what your doing.

NFC hacking to distribute malware? I think not. Possibly a NFC "hack" like putting a fake card reader over a real care reader to steal the data, but not for malware distribution. It would take so long to distribute malware in this fashion that no one would bother.
 

house70

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Every Android app that I want to install asks about permissions before doing so. For rooted phones, it even states whether it needs root or not. McAfee is full of it, trying to promote their crappy software. Typical. Used to be Windows scare, now it's Android scare.

I still have to meet someone (anyone) that has an infected Android-based phone.
 

hoofhearted

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Like I trust anything McAfee has to say. Between the antics of the owner and his murderous ways in other countries. Or the fact that McAfee uses Oracle and Java to distribute their trialware in a deceptive opt-out way.
 

dalethepcman

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[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Every iOS app I install asks me the first time I run it if it can use location data...not so when I had an Android device. If this was said about Apple's app store people would be slamming Apple left and right but because it's about Google they are defending it...typical on here. And yes I think so about NFC hacking. It was proved at the Blackhat convention last year with a demonstration.[/citation]

Every android app lists its permissions needed on installation as well, and if the permissions ever change the app will not update until you manually accept the changes. If you weren't wearing apple shaped blinders you might have known this, but instead you covertly (and inaccurately) slam Google for their "bad" business practices.

Also, a quote from Charlie Miller from said blackhat NFC hacking demonstration
"the range was limited to contact in which the attacking device was 1-2 inches away or touching the targeted device."

I'm not sure about your practices, but if someone other than me has their hand or any body part with direct contact to my phone, then it was just stolen. At which point why would you even bother with NFC when you can just ssh/adb the phone instead?

While NFC has its vulnerabilities, the attack type quoted "bump and infect" would be so completely restricted in scope that no one would bother making one. If you write malware, you always aim for the biggest target, not the smallest that also actually requires you to physically be at the scene of the crime....

I understand how this logic doesn't make sense to you though, being a continual Apple user your logic stopped working when the iPhone 4 came out.
 

lunix

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[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Every iOS app I install asks me the first time I run it if it can use location data...not so when I had an Android device. If this was said about Apple's app store people would be slamming Apple left and right but because it's about Google they are defending it...typical on here. And yes I think so about NFC hacking. It was proved at the Blackhat convention last year with a demonstration.[/citation]

So many fails.

People are not defending Android, they're saying McAfee is full of S.

Android tells you in much more detail what an app wants permission to do. iOS asks you about one thing in a more obvious way, and you think you're safe.

No-one says NFC hacking is impossible. Someone stated their opinion that it's impractical.
 

AndrewMD

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Google doesn't manage the Google Playstore.. so why is this a surprise. They let anyone in without checking their background or the program. I have come across too many programs in the Playstore that asks for permission to things it wouldn't need to function. aka, a flashlight program that wants access to your contact list and phone... um why?

No thank you,
 

maddad

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[citation][nom]AndrewMD[/nom]Google doesn't manage the Google Playstore.. so why is this a surprise. They let anyone in without checking their background or the program. I have come across too many programs in the Playstore that asks for permission to things it wouldn't need to function. aka, a flashlight program that wants access to your contact list and phone... um why?No thank you,[/citation]
I second that! Yes the program lists its permissions, but they all want almost complete access to your device. Every game wants location data and phone call state and so much more. Most people just blindley install because Android is so great (yeah right). I have very few items on my phone because of all the permissions they require. I can't speak for Apple devices as I have never owned any.
 
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McAfee costs companies more money each year than any virus or malware.
 

tobalaz

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I venture a guess that right now McAfee is slinging as much BS as possible to get peoples' minds off the fact their founder was running around killing people.
"Yes, we employee murderers, but that NASTY Android has apps on the Playstore that are invasive! It doesn't matter that people are stupid and just click OK without reading the permissions first! We'd be out of jobs and in jail if people actually bothered to read before they clicked I Agree!"
 

jerm1027

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Yeah, and global warming is a fabrication of hippies high on acid.
Source: ExxonMobil.

Tom's is honestly becoming a sorry excuse for journalism.
 
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