Android Ransomware Has Picked Up Some Ominous New Tricks

guest · Oct 8, 2020

Android Ransomware Has Picked Up Some Foreboding New Tricks
...mobile ransomware has undergone a worrying evolution, new research shows
October 8, 2020
https://www.wired.com/story/android-ransomware-worrying-evolution/

But along with the various types of PC malware that are typically used in these attacks, there's another burgeoning platform for ransomware as well: Android phones. And new research from Microsoft shows that criminal hackers are investing time and resources in refining their mobile ransomware tools—a sign that their attacks are generating payouts.

Released on Thursday, the findings, which were detected using Microsoft Defender on mobile, look at a variant of a known Android ransomware family that has added some clever tricks.

"It’s important for all users out there to be aware that ransomware is everywhere, and it’s not just for your laptops but for any device that you use and connect to the internet," says Tanmay Ganacharya, who leads the Microsoft Defender research team
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The ransomware Microsoft observed, which it calls AndroidOS/MalLocker.B, has a different strategy. It invokes and manipulates notifications intended for use when you're receiving a phone call. But the scheme overrides the typical flow of a call eventually going to voicemail or simply ending—since there is no actual call—and instead distorts the notifications into a ransom note overlay that you can't avoid and that the system prioritizes in perpetuity.
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Microsoft: Sophisticated new Android malware marks the latest evolution of mobile ransomware

For example, we found a piece of a particularly sophisticated Android ransomware with novel techniques and behavior, exemplifying the rapid evolution of mobile threats that we have also observed on other platforms. The mobile ransomware is the latest variant of a ransomware family that’s been in the wild for a while but has been evolving non-stop.

What’s innovative about this ransomware is how it displays its ransom note.
In this blog, we’ll detail the innovative ways in which this ransomware surfaces its ransom note using Android features we haven’t seen leveraged by malware before, as well as incorporating an open-source machine learning module designed for context-aware cropping of its ransom note.
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