Updated version of Snake can let third parties track the player's whereabouts
IT security firm Symantec has used its blog to draw attention to a game available from Android Market that can surreptitiously help a third party track the user's location.
The game, AndroidOS.Tapsnake, which is described as "yet another modification of the Google Android Snake game" on the store, fires up the device's GPS functionality when it's launched.
On further investigation, Symantec found that a companion Android app from the same developer - GPS Spy - can then track the AndroidOS.Tapsnake player's location on Google Maps.
Although there are loads of other apps that track a user's location, Symantec calls AndroidOS.Tapsnake a Trojan as it doesn't disclose the information up front.
Symantec concludes: "While certainly disconcerting, this is not a major threat and it's probably not widespread, but it shows how new mobile threats are evolving and emerging. Our advice for users of smartphones is to be careful of what you install and always check if the application you're installing is asking for rights it doesn't really need."
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