Seguridad Mania.com - España y América Latina

BUCHAREST, ROMANIA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/17/13 -- Bitdefender has issued an update to the Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus suite and the Antivirus Free for Android to fight off an Android exploit uncovered last week by security researchers from BlueBox Security.

The exploit, which can be leveraged to bypass code integrity checks and use specially-crafted APKs to install malware, is effectively detected and blocked by the Bitdefender update to prevent abuse of the vulnerability that could lead to a malware infection.

The bug affects Android versions from 1.6 through 4.1, leaving the vast majority of Android users vulnerable. Although Google has reportedly patched the flaw, few users have yet received it, and smartphone users running Gingerbread (Android 2.3.x) or earlier will likely not receive the fix at all.

"Bitdefender is alert around the clock to new exploits and vulnerabilities and, as always, we moved as fast as possible to issue a reliable update to protect Android users," said Bitdefender Chief Security Strategist Catalin Cosoi. "Android users are increasingly becoming targets for malware creators due to the platform's rising market shares, and issues such as these merit serious attention."

According to initial research, the flaw exploits the way Android looks for digital signatures in Android packages about to be installed. The specially crafted APK -- basically a ZIP archive -- contains two files with identical names -- one is digitally signed and the other carries malicious code. Android validates the first file as digitally-signed, but the second file overwrites it upon extraction.

The updated Bitdefender Mobile Security & Antivirus and its free version are available via Google Play.

About Bitdefender®

Bitdefender is the creator of one of the world's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified antivirus software. The company is an industry pioneer, introducing and developing award-winning protection since 2001. Today, Bitdefender technology secures the digital experience of around 400 million home and corporate users across the globe.

Recently, Bitdefender won a series of important awards and accolades in the global security industry, including "Product of the Year" by AV-Comparatives, "Best Repair 2012" by AV-Test, and "Editor's Choice" by PC Mag, that confirmed the antivirus software's leadership status among security products. More information about Bitdefender's products is available from the company's security press room. Additionally, Bitdefender publishes the HOTforSecurity blog, where readers can find stories from the underworld of internet fraud, scams, malicious software -- and gossip.