'Legit Apps Turned into Spyware' Targeting Android Users in Middle East

guest · Jun 26, 2019

'Legit Apps Turned into Spyware' Targeting Android Users in Middle East
June 26, 2019
https://thehackernews.com/2019/06/android-malware-hacking.html

Dubbed "ViceLeaker" by researchers at Kaspersky, the campaign has recently been found targeting Israeli citizens and some other middle eastern countries with a powerful surveillance malware designed to steal almost all accessible information, including call recordings, text messages, photos, videos, and location data—all without users' knowledge.

Besides these traditional spying functionalities, the malware also has backdoor capabilities including upload, download, and delete files, record surrounding audio, takeover camera, and make calls or send messages to specific numbers.

In a new report published today, Kaspersky Lab revealed that attackers are actively using the Baksmali tool to disassemble and then reassemble the code of a legitimate app after injecting their malicious code in it—a technique commonly known as Smali injection.
"Based on our detection statistics, the main infection vector is the spread of Trojanized applications directly to victims via Telegram and WhatsApp messengers," the researchers said.
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Kaspersky: ViceLeaker Operation: mobile espionage targeting Middle East

Floyd 57 · Jun 26, 2019

According to the researchers, the ViceLeaker attack campaign is still ongoing, and attackers could potentially distribute malicious repackaged versions of legitimate apps through third-party app stores, instant messengers, or attacker-controlled online webpages.
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Looks like google play is safe? Apparently:

Since such apps masquerade as legitimate or popular apps, Android users are highly recommended to always download apps from trusted sources, like Google Play Store, to prevent themselves from becoming a victim to this attack.
However, you should also not trust every app available on the Play Store. So, always stick to only verified developers to avoid installing malicious apps.
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'Legit Apps Turned into Spyware' Targeting Android Users in Middle East

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