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Tech Report: Malware Increasingly Affecting Android Phones

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – A new report by mobile security firm Lookout has found that the risk of encountering malware on an Android smartphone is 2.5 times more likely than six months ago.

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid said the malware is downloaded to user's phones.

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid:

"You might go to the Android Marketplace, which is run by Google. Unlike Apple's Marketplace for iPhones and iPads, Google doesn't vet all of the applications on there," Magid said. "If someone complains, they may take them down. But sometimes, an application will look like a legitimate app."

Magid said that there are many dangerous Trojans out there, including one that records conversations and stores them on your phone's SD card.

The report also found that there were 80 infected Android apps in January and more than 400 reported in June.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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