Google Play app containing malware may have been downloaded 100,000 times

Symantec blogger Irfan Asrar has found malware in the Google Play market known as Android.Dropdialer that sends text messages to premium-rate numbers, resulting in expensive charges on the user's phone bill. The malware, hidden in downloads entitled "Super Mario Bros." and "GTA 3 Moscow City," was available for download for over two weeks and may have been downloaded nearly 100,000 times.

Google attempts to scan all apps in the market for malware, but as here, some apps fall through the cracks when the actual harmful code is downloaded by the app after the initial download from Google Play (full process explained here).

Here are a few tips to follow to help ensure you avoid malware:

1. Read online reviews. Most malware will not function as a normal app.
2. Never download apps outside of the market for your phone.
3. Check out the publisher to see what other apps they offer. Research the company to be sure it is the actual developer (some malware will have the same name but be listed under a different publisher).
4. Review permissions that the app requires. Games, for example, do not need access to make phone calls or see your contacts.
5. Get antivirus protection for your phone.

Trend Micro predicts an epidemic of Android malware by the end of 2012.