Malicious apps can hose Android phones, erase data, researchers warn
 

Malicious apps can hose Android phones, erase data, researchers warn

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014...earchers-warn/

Well hell there goes my phone.. I hate iPhones and lived with in for 6 months.

IPhones shouldn't have that bug, since they use a completely different operating system.

Second... yes, it's a serious issue, but it only disables the Android device, as opposed to stealing the information stored on it.


MtnGoat: Despite my profession being software programming and database administration, I never carried a cellphone during my first three years of college, despite needing a weekly carpool to attend ROTC at a different campus (by the time I got a cellphone, I was no longer in ROTC). I've never had a smartphone/iPhone, and my first Android device was issued to me by my current boss for the purpose of programming it for use by other employees. If I need to do something other than contact (or be contacted by) someone, my laptop is up to the task. If there's no freely-available Internet where I'm going, I plan ahead (download maps, copy transportation schedules, etc). Most basic cellphone plans cost about $20/month, but I've kept mine close to $6/month while I was in the US, and close to $12/month on average ever since I arrived in Israel over 2 years ago (the difference is in the billing, not the usage). It can be done.

My wife (also a programmer, among her many talents) says I'm the only programmer she knows who is also a Luddite. I tell her that I chose my profession to get a deeper understanding of the enemy. ;)

I hear you on the side of it currently just shutting down the phone. Heck all the things you said about it stealing information off the phone. No need for that here, when we down load a app onto our smart phones we give away the right for the app company to take most of our stuff off our smart phone. You know, all in the good spirt of marketing.

The Luddite is funny.. Embrace the change, become one with technology. :D