New Android Trojan disguises itself as an app for delivering system updates
New malicious software has begun to spread among users of Android devices. It disguises itself as a system update and can take full control of the device with the possibility of data theft. This was reported by the company specialists Zimperium, which works in the field of information security.
We are talking about the System Update utility, which is supposedly designed to deliver the device’s updates. It is reportedly distributed through third-party sources and has not previously been seen on the official Play Store digital content store. The source says that after installing the application, it hides its activity and quietly sends various data to servers controlled by the attackers.
New Android Trojan disguises itself as an app for delivering system updates
A malicious application can steal messages from users, contacts, collect information about the device, record calls and what is happening in the vicinity of the device using a microphone, take photos, etc. Also, the malware tracks the device’s location, intercepts data from the clipboard, and performs scanning for search documents. The application can reduce the amount of consumed Internet traffic by sending not full-fledged images to the attackers’ servers but only their sketches to mask its activity.
Zimperium CEO Shridhar Mittal believes the detected malware is most likely part of a targeted attack. However, the researchers were unable to establish who the developer of this software and against whom it was used. “I think it took a lot of time and effort to create this app. We believe that there are other similar applications, and we are trying our best to detect them as quickly as possible, ” Mittal commented on the issue.
