Google Wallet puts antivirus firms on red alert

Google Wallet, Google's new platform for making payments, may have attracted the attention of cybercriminals —and placed antivirus vendors on red alert. One such antivirus vendor, Trend Micro, noted Google's Android smartphone platform has come under increasing attack due to its widespread use. "They don’t target platforms just because it’s fun, but because there’s money involved… and there is now. We’ve been seeing the Android platform under increasing attack for about a year and this news will only accelerate that trend. This puts us, antivirus vendors, in red alert mode for new attacks on Android. At the end of the day, we want to protect you. And your wallet," Trend Micro said in a blog post. In the meantime, it suggested that those who feel paranoid about the new technology try it out with prepaid credit cards first. Also, it encouraged those using the new technology to check their bank statements often. Trend Micro said that while Google Wallet may revolutionize how people make payments, it may be prone to cybercriminals. "Instant payments by putting the phone near a terminal and keying in my PIN? Sounds good. As exciting as it might be to try out new technologies, if it has to do with my wallet, though, I think things through twice, or more," it said. Trend Micro noted Android is one of the most attacked mobile software since it has surpassed its Apple competitor in terms of use. But it noted the Google Wallet technology contains data that can be read with a powerful-enough antenna. "I don’t mean to scare you off, I’m sure that the good guys have done their job properly and that Google will patch things up if they fail, even slightly. With this I mean to say that if you ever thought that the bad guys weren’t looking right, left, and center to mobile platforms for future ways of attacking, now you can be sure they are," it said. — TJD, GMA News