Android’s malware attacks are increasing more than ever, making it to around 50 known infected Android apps in the Android Market. Taking control of the situation, Google has immediately pulled out 21 popular free apps from the market as an effort to protect its users. The infected apps are targeted at getting root level access to user’s device, collecting personal information and downloading extra codes without users’ knowledge. Although Google has taken out all these apps from the store, more than 500,000 may have been already downloaded by the users.

Most of the infected apps looked like the knockoff versions of popular apps like “Chess.”  While the user downloads it assuming as an app, once downloaded, it takes control of user’s device by using a methods like rageagainstthecage followed by using a Android executable file and finally download malicious code without notice of the user. Most of these pirated apps are made by an entity named Myournet.

This malware is known as “DroidDream” and has so far infected as many as 200,000 Andorid devices. The news was given by Android Police calling it “the mother of all Android Malware”.

“It steals nearly everything it can: product ID, model, partner (provider?), language, country, and userID. But that’s all child’s play; the true pièce de résistance is that it has the ability to download more code. In other words, there’s no way to know what the app does after it’s installed, and the possibilities are nearly endless.”

As malware attacks on Android are increasing, Lookout Mobile Security comes up with a list of over 50 infected Android apps. As smartphones are getting popular, so does the attacks, which is a really hard situation.

Here’s the complete list as given by Lookout:

Full list of infected applications published by “Myournet”: • Falling Down • Super Guitar Solo • Super History Eraser • Photo Editor • Super Ringtone Maker • Super Sex Positions • Hot Sexy Videos • Chess • 下坠滚球_Falldown • Hilton Sex Sound • Screaming Sexy Japanese Girls • Falling Ball Dodge • Scientific Calculator • Dice Roller • 躲避弹球 • Advanced Currency Converter • App Uninstaller • 几何战机_PewPew • Funny Paint • Spider Man • 蜘蛛侠

Full list of infected applications published by “Kingmall2010″: • Bowling Time • Advanced Barcode Scanner • Supre Bluetooth Transfer • Task Killer Pro • Music Box • Sexy Girls: Japanese • Sexy Legs • Advanced File Manager • Magic Strobe Light • 致命绝色美腿 • 墨水坦克Panzer Panic • 裸奔先生Mr. Runner • 软件强力卸载 • Advanced App to SD • Super Stopwatch & Timer • Advanced Compass Leveler • Best password safe • 掷骰子 • 多彩绘画

Full list of infected apps under the developer name “we20090202″: • • Finger Race • Piano • Bubble Shoot • Advanced Sound Manager • Magic Hypnotic Spiral • Funny Face • Color Blindness Test • Tie a Tie • Quick Notes • Basketball Shot Now • Quick Delete Contacts • Omok Five in a Row • Super Sexy Ringtones • 大家来找茬 • 桌上曲棍球 • 投篮高手

Before this, we heard about HongTouTou becoming a threat for Chinese Android users distributed through repackaged versions of other Android apps, including RoboDefense. After download, the app requests some unusual permissions like:

android.permission.WRITE_APN_SETTINGS
android.permission.RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED
android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE
android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE
android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE
android.permission.INTERNET
android.permission.MODIFY_PHONE_STATE

Mobile malware is a scary thought, but organizations have already started processing ways to deal with malware and spam. To cope with online exploitation and spam, China and U.S. has also joined hands. The was in the form of an announcement done by the EastWest Institute’s Chief Technology Officer Karl Frederick Rauscher at Anti-Abuse Working Group 21st General Meeting in Orlando, Florirda last Feb. 23.