Android Apps Claiming to Clean and Speed up Smartphones Actually Install Malware

guest · Feb 7, 2020

Android Apps Claiming to Clean and Speed up Smartphones Actually Install Malware
February 7, 2020
https://www.newsweek.com/android-ma...o-google-play-store-mobile-apps-china-1486212

Lurking in the Google Play Store since 2017—collectively downloaded more than 470,000 times—the applications posed as ways to increase device performance by cleaning or deleting files, but in reality covertly infected devices to conduct ad fraud, according to Trend Micro.
Experts from the cybersecurity company said the malicious apps could even attempt to compromise a user's Facebook and Google login details.

"The cybercriminals behind this campaign can use the affected device to post fake positive reviews in favor of the malicious apps, as well as perform multiple ad fraud techniques by clicking on the ads that pop up [in the software when it is opened]," the team said.
Using Speed Clean as an example, Trend Micro said it was found to establish a secret connection to download malware variants or payloads that facilitate ad fraud.
The booby-trapped cleaning app would try to trick a user into giving it access to full accessibility permissions.
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The identified apps were named as: Shoot Clean (10,000+installs), Super Clean Lite (50,000+ installs), Super Clean-Phone (100,000+ installs), Quick Games (100,000+ installs), Rocket Cleaner (100,000+ installs), Rocket Cleaner Lite (10,000+ installs), Speed Clean (100,000+ installs), LinkWorldVPN (1,000+) and H5 gamebox (1,000+ installs).
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The researchers found the applications did not use any malicious functions if the user's phone was geographically associated with the country. As noted by tech website Ars Technica, that is typically one indication that the developers did not wish to attract attention from local authorities.

"We tried modifying the geographic parameter value of the country code to any country code, or even random, non-existent country codes, and the remote ad configuration server consistently returned malicious content," researchers explained in their analysis.
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Trend Micro: Malicious Optimizer and Utility Android Apps on Google Play Communicate with Trojans that Install Malware, Perform Mobile Ad Fraud

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Android Apps Claiming to Clean and Speed up Smartphones Actually Install Malware

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