Sophisticated Trojan "Geinimi" Hijacks Android Smartphones

A malicious new piece of malware codenamed "Geinimi" has appeared in China and Android smartphones are its main targets.

Lookout Mobile Security, a San Francisco-based blog, reported that "Geinimi" is able to compromise personal data on a user's phone and send it to remote servers. According to the author known as "tim," it is "The most sophisticated Android malware we've seen to date, Geinimi is also the first Android malware in the wild that displays botnet-like capabilities."

Designated as a Trojan, Geinimi is currently uploaded through repacked versions of Android apps distributed by a third-party Android app market, most particularly in China, with titles such as Monkey Jump 2, Sex Positions, Presidents vs. Aliens, City Defense and Baseball Superstars 2010.

Currently, Android smartphones outside of China are still shielded but the fact that there is a Trojan for the Android OS is quite alarming. With the iPhone still secure, what is Google going to do to fix this?

Or is this simply a ploy for Antivirus companies to jump on the appstore bandwagon?