A recently discovered Android vulnerability puts Chinese users' information at-risk through phony app updates.
The vulnerability allows fake apps to hijack real app updates then use them to steal stored information, according to researchers at Trend Micro. It targets mainly Chinese users because they often update their apps directly, as opposed to going through Google Play or another third-party app store.
The phone owner can download an update's Android application package (APK) file to a SD card directly from the app, which leaves information vulnerable because the APK file is unverified and could have been replaced with a malicious file.
But Google Play, for instance, checks whether updates are legitimate and distributes the updates as they come in. The researchers recommend all apps be downloaded and updated from official app sites.
