Fun times for Android owners. Daniel Van Boom writing for CNET:

 At least 10 million Android devices have been infected by malware called HummingBad, according to cybersecurity software maker Check Point.

Check Point, which has been tracking the malware since it was discovered in February, has released an analysis of the threat. For months, the number of infections were steady but they spiked sharply in mid-May.

What makes HummingBad particularly interesting is the group behind it, which according to Check Point is a team of developers at Yingmob, an otherwise legitimate, multimillion-dollar advertising analytics agency based in Beijing. 

It’s also worth noting that the malware at hand isn’t limited to those living in China.

 The bulk of victims are in China and India, with 1.6 million and 1.35 million cases respectively. The Philippines, Indonesia and Turkey are toward the top of the list, too. The US has 288,800 infected devices. The UK and Australia each have fewer than 100,000 devices affected. 

What makes the situation perhaps worse is that the malware doesn’t come from an app. Instead, much like as you would expect on Windows, the malware makes its way onto your device when visiting certain websites.

 HummingBad began as a “drive-by download attack,” in which phones were infected when people visited websites. 

As for what can be done at the moment – not a whole lot. Apparently:

 neither Yingmob nor Google immediately responded to requests for comment. 

Discuss:

Are you worried about your device being infected?