Five mobile app developers have been arrested by Japanese police for creating and embedding a virus into smartphone applications. Initial reports said that around 90,000 smartphone users were infected with the virus from apps they had downloaded. However, later investigation found that the developers has stolen more than 10 million pieces of personal information from users.
The Hacker News, via The Loop:
These guys runs an IT-related company, they created a video applications for Android smartphones containing a virus that extracts personal information stored on the phone. The man released the apps on Google Inc.’s official store for free in late March and was downloaded 270,000 times.
The free apps were marketed by adding the phrase “The Movie” to existing popular game titles. After the apps were downloaded and activated, they then were able to automatically transmit personal data. The stolen information found on the hackers server had not been used by the developers of the malware, and police are investigating the motive of the crime.
Creating viruses for computers and smartphones was criminalized under a revised Penal Code that was enacted in July of last year. Under the law, violators face up to three years in prison or fines of up to 500,000 yen ($7,645).
