Again. More than 2.100.000 smartphones has been infected by a new mobile phone virus in China. Local technician said that such viruses are usually hidden inside game apps. The hackers who planted the virus are able to charge additional airtime fees from users without them knowing.

The same type of virus have also been ‘lurking’ inside user’s mobile phone through hundred of Android mobile apps. By renting back-end servers to perform the deduction of user’s airtime fees, Chinese hackers can earn more than 100 million yuan a year from the virus apps, it is considered to be more profitable than drug trafficking …

According to statistics from Chinese Academy of Sciences, the virus will auto-charged an additional 20 yuan (US$3.20) from the phone user every month on average, and this will sum up over 50 million yuan (US$8 million) annually from illegal airtime charged. A large number of Chinese websites and online forums are free to upload or download the mobile application software. Hackers can easily embedded malicious code into these mobile apps for easy downloading. Experts said that third-party Androids apps store in China do not provide any secure authentication, lead to easy spreading of mobile viruses.

Most smartphone users in China are less likely to be well-versed in mobile security, providing hackers with points of stealing their airtime money. The messed up of Android app downloading platform in China is actually the culprit.