It appears that the heart of the Android operating system, the Dalvik virtual machine has been ported over to the Apple iPad by crackers, and although having the ability to run Android apps on the Apple slate may appear an attractive option it does have its risks.

According to Cryptzone they are warning Apple iPad uses might find that their on-device IT security software may not deliver protection from malware and other security threats if they run one of the latest Android apps on their iPad.

Cryptzone is the European IT threat mitigation specialist, and according to the UK vice president of Cryptzone, Grant Taylor, there are many instances in IT history where crackers developed methods of running one platform’s software on another such as the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga systems being adapted for Mac software.

Taylor says, “In those instances, users were keen to run Mac software on hardware costing a fraction of the Apple price, but in this case, it seems that the sheer diversity of Android apps — many of which are free — is the attraction for Apple iPad users.”

Taylor further warns…“Unfortunately, because of the way in which Android apps are running on the non-Android portable device platform, there is a grave danger that on-device IT security software may not be currently capable of spotting any trojans or similar darkware that have been coded to specifically take advantage of the Dalvik port.”

The Dalvik port essentially creates an iOS friendly “software wrapper” around the original Android application that is then tweaked to handle the I/O and other Android specific calls on the alien iOS OS and Apple hardware.

Taylor also remarks that there is a real risk that the ports have been created by “black hat hackers” or even “cybercriminals” that have an understandable interest in infecting the users Apple iPad and that the chances of an Android application that had been modified to run on the iPad ending up being trojanised or infected is very high.

Taylor also says, “I would urge iPad users not to install these ported Android apps, as they could be an avenue for a world of infection pain that cannot be stopped by most conventional iPad IT security software. This is a radical and dangerous new development on the portable device threats front, and users need to exercise extreme caution as a result.”

So there you go, don’t install Android software on the Apple iPad or you may find yourself in a spt of bother, so stick to purchasing your apps from iTunes instead.

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