One of the most problematic areas in portable security today is "grayware." The dividing line between legitimate and malware is unclear and grayware is often swinging between the two. Grayware refers to applications that may not have hidden malware, but can in some way cause damage or annoy the user. For example, they can spot their location, Internet browsing habits, and channel unwanted ads. In many cases, the authors of grayware often maintain a legality screen, highlighting the capabilities of the application, in the fine print of the software license agreement.
The grayware is not a new phenomenon since it first started a decade ago, attracting attention when unwanted programs such as spyware, were integrated with free apps. As PC users became more aware, they knew what they were installing, and that kind of penetration into computers was extinguished. However, the arrival of a new generation of smartphones has created a new software market. Consumers are now prone to face this particular laptop market with the same degree of naivety that could face the desktop market ten or fifteen years ago. Mobile applications are often installed with great ease, without much thought of what they are capable of doing.
How big is the problem? Data Collected by Symantec, suggest that over one third of portable device applications can be considered as grayware. Until the new version of Norton Mobile Security last year, Norton Mobile Insight, Symantec's Application Analysis Tool, analyzed more than four million applications, and showed that 1.5 millions can be classified as malware.
The Grayware it can be anything from an application that "plays" with the privacy of the user, to something more complex. For example, the Symantec recently discovered a grayware app that encouraged Instagram users to share their codes, with the aim of increasing likes and followers. The app, known as InstLike, was for one space διαθέσιμη στα Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, ενώ μετέπειτα αφαιρέθηκε και από τις δύο εταιρείες. Η εφαρμογή ισχυριζόταν ότι μπορούσε να παρέχει followers και likes δωρεάν. Ζητούσε όμως τα στοιχεία εισόδου στο Instagram. Η εφαρμογή παραχωρούσε τότε σημαντικό έλεγχο στο λογαριασμό Instagram του χρήστη, κάνοντας αυτόματα Like σε φωτογραφίες χωρίς την αλληλεπίδραση του χρήστη.
One kind of mobile grayware which has seen growth in recent years is known as "madware". This refers to apps that aggressively use ad libraries. The ad library είναι ένα στοιχείο της εφαρμογής που μπορεί να συλλέξει πληροφορίες για τον χρήστη για σκοπούς παρουσίασης στοχευμένης διαφήμισης. Αποτελεί κοινό feature των δωρεάν εφαρμογών, οι οποίες συνήθως βασίζονται στη διαφήμιση για τα έσοδά τους. Ορισμένα όμως ad libraries υιοθετούν επιθετικές τακτικές, όπως η leakage προσωπικών πληροφοριών, η παρουσίαση διαφημίσεων στο notification bar, η δημιουργία εικόνων με διαφημίσεις ή αλλαγή των bookmarks.
A recent Symantec study found that of 65 known ad libraries, more than 50% ranked as madware. The percentage of applications using madware is rising steadily. For example, 23% of apps on the Google Play store last year can be considered madware, while 2010 was just 5%.
What can be done with grayware? Due to the fact that it does not go beyond the limits of illegality, companies with antivirus solutions usually can not block it. Occasionally, they are removed from official mobile marketplaces such as Apple App Store or Google Play as they violate terms and conditions.
Knowledge is the best defense. In the same way that PC users are more careful about what they are installing on computers, smartphone users need to realize what they are downloading to their device and look for what rights the application is asking for.
There is also a range of tools that can help users identify which applications can request special access to the smartphone. For example, the Norton Spot will scan your Android phone for aggressive ad libraries that can spam your device and identify which applications are related to them.
