Lookout introduces Mobile Threat Network platform via V Cast Apps

Lookout Mobile Security unveiled Mobile Threat Network, a new platform that delivers automated threat detection and analysis solutions designed to safeguard app stores, developers and consumers against malware and spyware. Lookout will first roll out the solution across the Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) V Cast Apps storefront.

Lookout states that Mobile Threat Network identifies and analyzes malware and spyware in real time, scanning for suspicious applications and targeting anomalies that could spell trouble. In the event a threat is confirmed, Lookout institutes measures to protect smartphones in immediate danger. The firm notes that it recently identified a new strain of the DroidDream malware, preventing its spread across Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android Market.

DroidDream first surfaced in March 2011, when Google pulled more than 50 free applications said to contain the malware, which seeks to gain root access to the user's device, collecting a range of available data and downloading more malicious code to the smartphone without the consumer's knowledge or consent. In the weeks to follow, Google deleted an additional 34 apps containing the so-called "Droid Dream Light," a stripped-down version of the original DroidDream virus, while also battling viruses including "DroidKungFu" and "Plankton."

Although Android's open-source ethos is credited as a primary catalyst behind the operating system's enormous growth, malware threats underline the challenges inherent in maintaining an open mobile ecosystem. Last month, Verizon Wireless unveiled Net Safety Tips On the Go, a free Android application (developed in association with Google and multiple online security education organizations) designed to help protect consumers against fraud, phishing and ID theft.

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