Metaforic Announces Protection for Android Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Metaforic, the innovative software security company, today announced that it had ported its world-class software hardening technology to protect Android applications, which have been subject to some of the worst hacking records in recent history.  Using this new technology, Android application developers can harden their applications to minimize hacking vulnerability, protecting both themselves and their users.

Unfortunately, traditional methods of protection on Android are proving to be ineffective. Custom malware attacks on Android applications are increasing exponentially, and theft of software, data and content is rising to match.  For example, AV-Test reports a 450% increase in Android malware, totalling over 11,000 active strains of Trojans, bots, spyware, fake installers and premium dialers (http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/android).  Worse, the Android ecosystem is itself flawed, allowing delivery of malware loaded applications from both official and unofficial marketplaces.

Joseph Feiman[i], VP and Gartner Fellow said, "Enterprises should prepare themselves for the reality that their applications and data will be used in unexpected ways, abused, stolen, and attacked by outsiders and insiders. Application security is a must."

Metaforic brings application protection to software and data, immunizing it against attacks from hackers and malware.  MetaFortress defeats some of the most common attacks on Android applications, including:

• Repackaging applications with malicious malware
• Privilege escalation from other applications
• Silent activity, such as SMS fraud or dialing of premium services
• Any binary or static data change from hacking or malware

Said Neil Stewart, Metaforic CTO: "We're excited to bring our innovative technology to Android and this marketplace. We will show how our industry leading tamper-proofing product can be used at all levels of the Android software stack in order to build a secure foundation for applications. Using MetaFortress for Android in this way can truly secure Android applications from the prevalent threats in the ecosystem."

About Metaforic
Metaforic was founded in 2006, and has operations in the USA, EU and Japan. Its flagship product line, MetaFortress, protects virtually any software from subversion, theft, tampering or other corruption.  MetaFortress is proven in millions of deployed instances, from consumer software to business devices.  Users of MetaFortress find it is easy to apply, has near-zero runtime impact, and defends their software from the inside out.  Only software protected by Metaforic earns the Mark of Security. Further information is available at Metaforic's website www.metaforic.com.

[i] Gartner: The Hype Cycle for Application Security 2011, Joseph Feiman, 18 July 2011

SOURCE Metaforic