Sophisticated Android Geinimi Trojan appears in the wild

Over at the Lookout Mobile Security blog there's news of a sophisticated new trojan spreading on Android devices. Dubbed Geinimi, the Trojan has been injected into legitimate versions of Android games (primarily) and apps, and distributed via third-party app stores in China.

While Lookout isn't certain of Geinimi's intent, the company believes it to be capable of receiving commands from a central server, and that the trojan can also collect and transmit a significant amount of user data. Lookout also believes there is a possibility that Geinimi could be laying the groundwork for an Android botnet.

As Lookout points out, it's easy enough to protect yourself:

• Don't install apps from untrusted third-party application markets
• Don't enable Android's "install from unknown sources" setting
• Install a good anti-malware app on your device

There are plenty of good, free anti-malware apps available for Android devices -- like AVG, Creative Apps Antivirus, NetQin Antivirus, and, of course, Lookout's own offering. Search for one in the market, or hit up the AppBrain links after the break!

AVG Free for Android

Creative Apps Antivirus Free

Lookout Mobile Security

NetQin Antivirus

Tags: android, antimalware, antivirus, botnet, china, Geinimi, lookout, malicious, malware, mobile, privacy, safety, security, trojan, virus