Researcher says botnets are using Android smartphones

Microsoft researcher Terry Zink believes that for the first time botnets have compromised some smartphones using Google's Android system. A botnet is the name given to a computer or other system that is taken over in order to send out masses of spam emails.

According to research the suspected IP's of the botnets are originating from countries outside Europe. This latest development will add more woe to Google who only recently had to tackle the issue of malware finding its way into some of its Android store apps.

According to Microsoft the botnets they monitored were using Yahoo accounts. Our email technicians who monitor spam levels did note this week the arrival of some new email spam that looked liked it could have originated from an Android device via Yahoo accounts.

Although no hard evidence has yet been presented it comes as no surprise that sooner or later spammers would attempt to compromise todays mobile devices.

Google has not made a statement on any individual cases but does say it is working to improve security on the Android system.

It is recommended that you secure your smartphones by ensuring you have all the current software updates installed. Also find a reputable anti-malware app to scan what comes in and out of your phone. Make sure you only install apps from trusted sources.