Don’t panic, this isn’t a story about android life-forms in Russia that are being attacked by Trojans. Well, actually, it is… in a way. The androids in question refer to Android Smartphones, and they are located in Russia. They are also being attacked by Trojans as a direct result of a highly effective SEO strategy.
The Trojan is a very costly application that Smartphone users in Russia are being tricked into installing on their phones when they search for adult related content. The makers of the Trojan have promoted it on numerous websites in Russia, and have optimised it using search engine optimisation. When a user finds what they believe to be an adult content rich application, they download and install it onto their Smartphone – only to find that their mobile phone bills go through the roof. Rather than offering adult content, the Trojan instead sends out text messages to premium numbers without the owner’s knowledge. Each SMS message that is sent from the phone costs the user $6 (over £3), and the phone shows no sign that the messages have even been sent.
The Trojan is called ‘Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.b’ and it’s finding its way onto thousands of Android powered phones in Russia because of the power of SEO. The makers of viruses, Trojans and identity-theft software have realised that SEO can be used to get their malware onto more computer systems and mobile technology, and are utilising it to great effect.
This news shows how effective SEO can be when used correctly, even if in this instance it is being used for malicious purposes. Those who have mastered the art of SEO have a responsibility to use it fairly, rather than for nefarious purposes.
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