Mobile Bugs Redirect Mobile Links to Porn, Ads, the App Store

MOBILESPACE—There has been a surge in cases of people having their mobile viewing hijacked so that they find themselves suddenly “diverted from pages they are viewing towards pornography websites or advertisements or even the App Store,” reports news.com.au. In addition to porn, adds the site, “In recent months users have reported being driven away from web pages towards the App Store, commonly to the landing page for popular puzzle game Candy Crush Saga, which was released in 2012 and was one of the most downloaded games on Android and iPhone.” It’s possible the source of the problem is apps, but it could just as likely be ads. The bad news, says news.com.au, is that “even the experts don’t know what is causing the problem.” Professor Nigel Phair, a former Australian Federal Police officer and head of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre, told the site, “In cybercrime, attribution is really difficult.” The good news for “both iPhone and Android users is that both parent companies — Apple and Google — say they are doing everything they can to protect customers from malicious software on their smart phones.” The article suggests that Android users are probably at greatest risk for the simple reason that, according to Phair, “Any man and his dog can make an [Android] app and it can be full of anything including malicious software, redirects, anything.” A colleague, Professor Alistair McGibbon from the University of Canberra and the Centre for Internet Safety, agreed, telling the site, “Apps generally have proven quite problematic. Often, when you purchase an app you give permission to the creator to access your contacts, all of your to-and-from emails, all of your past and ongoing communications, granular information in exchange for a free game.” Google Australia responded to a request for comment by informing news.com.au that security checks were in place “before and after purchase." The spokesperson explained, “When you download an app it lists all the permissions it requires and you have to click yes to approve." Apple was less forthcoming, sending the non-comment, “For the protection of our customers, Apple does not disclose, discuss or confirm security issues until a full investigation has occurred and any necessary patches or releases are available.”