Android.Cynos.7.origin trojan infected +9 million Android devices

guest · Nov 23, 2021

Android.Cynos.7.origin trojan infected +9 million Android devices
November 23, 2021
https://securityaffairs.co/wordpress/124927/malware/android-cynos-7-origin-trojan-infections.html

Researchers from Dr. Web AV discovered 190 games on Huawei’s AppGallery catalog (i.e. simulators, platformers, arcades, strategies, and shooters) that were containing the Android.Cynos.7.origin trojan. They estimated that the malicious apps were installed on at least 9.300.00 Android devices. Experts state that some of these games target Russian-speaking users with Russian localization, titles, and descriptions, while others were designed to target Chinese or international audiences.

The Android.Cynos.7.origin is a modified version of the Cynos program module which can be integrated into Android apps to monetize them. The module is known since at least 2014, but experts pointed out that some versions implement aggressive features such as the capability to send premium SMS, intercept incoming SMS, download and launch extra modules, and download and install other apps.
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The strain of malware analyzed by the researchers was designed to collect the information about users and their devices and displaying ads.

“At first glance, a mobile phone number leak may seem like an insignificant problem. Yet in reality, it can seriously harm users, especially given the fact that children are the games’ main target audience.” states the report.
“Even if the mobile phone number is registered to an adult, downloading a child’s game may highly likely indicate that the child is the one who actually using the mobile phone. It is very doubtful that parents would want the above data about the phone to be transferred not only to unknown foreign servers, but to anyone else in general.”
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The games with the largest number of installations are listed below:

快点躲起来 (Hurry up and hide) – 2,000,000 installs

Cat game room – 427,000 installs

Drive school simulator – 142,000 installs

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Dr. Web: New trojan detected on AppGallery app catalog

Doctor Web malware analysts discovered dozens of games on the AppGallery catalog that have an Android.Cynos.7.origin trojan built into them. This trojan is designed to collect users’ mobile phone numbers. At least 9.300.000 Android device owners have installed these dangerous games.
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Android.Cynos.7.origin trojan infected +9 million Android devices

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