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Researchers to demo rootkit on Android phone

Defcon demo to show rootkit running on an Android-based smartphone that could give an intruder full access to all the functions of the device.

Matthew Broersma Special to CNET News

Security researchers plan to demonstrate a rootkit running on an Android-based smartphone that could give an intruder full access to all the functions of the device.

Nicholas Percoco and Christian Papathanasiou are scheduled to make the demonstration at the Defcon security conference in Las Vegas in July. The researchers, from security firm Trustwave, will show that the kernel-level rootkit is capable of reading the text messages on an Android phone, making unauthorized long-distance calls, and pinpointing the device's location via GPS, according to the conference program.

The malware is activated by an incoming call from a "trigger number," upon which it sends a shell to the attacker, allowing them administrative access via a 3G or Wi-Fi connection. A shell is a piece of software providing an interface to an operating system kernel.

Read more of "Researchers to demo rootkit on Android phone" at ZDNet UK.