Found strange app in my phone - is "English TV Channels" malware?

[Windows Central Question]

I noticed today an app called "English TV Channels" in my Lumia app list. I truly don't recall having installed such an app and in general I haven't been very liberal in installing apps. No-one else has access to my phone. I opened the app and it shows me ads and repeatedly asks to try "our new app: Youtube - Video and MP3 Download". The main screens contains some icons for TV channels, e.g. National Geography HD, but those don't seem to work.

When I tried to google some info on the app, I get some links to the WP Store and some other sites. But when clicking on those, I get messages like "not found" or "app removed".

Does anyone know what this could be about? Is there some way I could have gotten malware on my phone? Is there any way to find out if and why some app has been removed from the WP Store?

 

[ven07]

Hello Well first of all you should uninstall the app, if you haven't done that already. Secondly go to windowsphone.com and log in, then check your purchase history to see on which day you installed the app, maybe this will narrow down the list of "suspects" for you

 

[jmshub]

So far, Windows Phone has been virus proof. There is no way to remotely install malicious software on your phone. I'd say if anything, it is crapware installed by your carrier.

 

[ven07]

So far, Windows Phone has been virus proof. There is no way to remotely install malicious software on your phone. I'd say if anything, it is crapware installed by your carrier.

I think this was proven to be true yet again during an annual hackers convention can't remember the name tho

 

[jmshub]

You are thinking of Pwn2Own at CanSecWest.

 

[RumoredNow]

Blimey... The things gone missing all over the web. Including a thread right here at Windows Central.

Every link I clicked on (4 of them) for English TV Windows Phone App has gone to a not found or deleted error.

english tv channels windows phone app - Bing

Someone's been bad...

Yeah, I'd delete that one. You may have installed it without remembering. No one can remote install any Apps to your device under Windows Phone. The sandboxing built in would not allow that.

 

[SSgt Bruskowiz]

Not true, anyone who can access your wp store account on a pc/ laptop can remotely install apps on your phone.

 

[RumoredNow]

Yeah... great point SSgt... I was thinking of one App downloading others or the aforementioned hack via SD card in the previous post.

 

[Kis1000]

Hello all, thanks a lot for your comments. (I made the OP)

I already uninstalled the app and checked the purchase history at windowsphone.com, which was a very good tip by the way since the phone's own history shows only the last update. The wp site gave instead the original installation day, which is more helpful in a case like this. I had installed some other apps on the same day, so perhaps I had after all done that myself. Still don't remember it, but I guess that is the most likely explanation particularly since my carrier has a pretty good reputation.

I did not know that someone can remote install apps if they just have the wp store account. This should be made more public so that people would take care of their passwords...

I did not quite understand the comment by RumoredNow about a hack via SD card. Was that possible or not possible in some event?

Could someone still give some information on this: is it possible for one app to install another? That's what I was mostly concerned about (and still am a bit).

And last, RumouredNow mentioned that Someone's been bad... can we know somehow who has removed the app from the store, developer or Microsoft, and why?

 

[RumoredNow]

I just thought it odd that no links I clicked from a Bing search went anywhere... I'm not sure it is worth worrying about. Chances are 99.999999999% that you did this yourself and forgot.

TV rebroadcaster programs come and go. They get quickly pushed then yanked. It's a violation of service agreements, yet people are always trying to get free streaming. App hacks play on this for quick downloads and hits to their ad sharing revenue streams.

An App can't install another App.

The SD trick was from a recent "Hacker" event where there are prizes for quickest exploit. It is all in good fun. The industry is there and actually learns to close vulnerabilities from such events. At one recent event the best anyone could do against Windows Phone was use an SD card from a Windows Phone device which had an App installed to it. The hackers then stripped out that App and inserted another into the "shell" left behind. The new App inherits the permissions of the old App.

This is incredibly simplified as I am paraphrasing and in no way an expert. Someone else will post how and why I was technically wrong and insert a bunch of technical speak. Probably within an hour... LOLz.

Anywho, someone would have to remove your SD card, do the "Hack" and replace your card all without your knowledge. The "hacked" App would then still be very limited in what it could do according to my layman's understanding of some tech jargon that went on around the announcement of the hack. Installing something else would not be within the hacked in App's powers.

Bottom line. Windows Phone remains a very secure OS.

 

[Kis1000]

Thank you RumoredNow for the clear answer. I think it must be so that I myself installed and forgot... shame