Kaspersky Lab has unveiled a free mobile application for the security of Android gadgets, called the Kaspersky Fake ID Scanner. It scans all Android devices for vulnerabilities that put users’ valuable data, privacy and even money at risk.
The Bluebox labs have identified such vulnerability, it enables attackers to disguise any applications, including malicious, as legitimate programmes developed by well-known vendors. The vulnerability was named Fake ID.
Heartbleed is yet vulnerability; it can be exploited to read memory on systems that use certain versions of the OpenSSL protocol. This means that attackers can get access to sensitive user data by sending specially crafted requests. This flaw affected many companies.
The Master Key vulnerability, yet another, enables cybercriminals to access any Android device with administrator privileges. This means that an attacker can launch any software on a device without the owner’s knowledge.
Google, however is very quick to close such applications but it is wise for Android users to take precaution, because it often takes device manufacturers a long time to update firmware. Malware can use such vulnerabilities to make its way onto smartphones and tablets, often disguised as popular applications, in order to steal personal data stored on the devices, hijack user accounts on social networks, steal online banking credentials, etc.
Kaspersky’s Free Fake ID Scanner will be of great use as it enables Android device owners to scan their devices for all of these vulnerabilities and ascertain that no applications that exploit them are installed on their devices.
The application does not close the vulnerabilities detected, but it prompts the user to install a free version of Kaspersky Internet Security for Android if any threats are detected. That product will protect the device against malicious code regardless of the vulnerabilities exploited by the malware.
The application, which is compatible with Android 2.3 and later versions, is available in Google Play in two languages – English and Russian.