Experts warn of risks in pirated mobile games

When enjoying free downloads of pirated mobile games, the download site may know your phone contacts, and software and website preferences better than yourself.

Excessive permissions exist in about forty percent of mobile games, resulting in free access to users' sensitive information, such as the users' contacts and text messages, according to data from 360 Internet Security Center.

Pirated mobile games not only hamper privacy. Under its malicious impact, domestic genuine game publishers are facing an enormous challenge, especially in the GoMarket.

As of March 6, 2013, Bangcle Consulting had detected various pirated versions of popular mobile games, such as Fishing Joy, Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja, in its monitoring of 150 channels. Some pirated versions even contained viruses.

Idreamsky Technology Limited, a leading mobile-game developer and publisher in China, is joining hands with other security tool providers, including Qihu360, Kingsoft and Tencent, to help users to accurately identify the official release of games and ensure that users install genuine and safe game products, said Su Meng, Idreamsky's COO.

Last year, 160,000 malicious codes were found in China's mobile Internet market, a 25-fold increase over the previous year, said data released by the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center of China (CNCERT/CC) on March 18.

To protect your personal information online, experts from Qihu360, a major Internet company providing security software, recommended that users should take a series of preventive measures as soon as possible.

For example, mobile phone users should download Apps through high-quality resource platforms, install mobile security applications, such as 360 mobile guards to kill mobile Trojan horse viruses, manage App permissions and prevent Apps from collecting private information and uploading it through a variety of channels.

"Last year, about 55 million mobile phone users were estimated to be infected with malicious programs," said Wang Minghua, vice director of the operation department of the CNCERT/CC.

A blacklist of malicious mobile phone programs is being developed, Wang said.

"When finalized, the blacklist will be released directly to anti-virus software developers and operators for reference, a move to prevent malicious programs from reaching cell phones by shielding malicious software from the bottom," Wang added.