Kaspersky Lab has found a serious vulnerability in the Android operating system which can be used by hackers to launch malware attacks and steal information related to the smartphone user and transmit it to the servers of cybercriminals.
Named as Trojan-Dropper.android. Shopper.a. the malware tends to break into the Play Store after disabling Google Play Protect of the infected device and install apps related to malware and cryptocurrency mining.
What’s interesting in this malicious activity is that all the installation and operations run behind the home screen i.e. -in the background. So, it becomes extremely difficult to detect them.
Kaspersky researchers say that the said malware also has the tendency to fill the victimized phone with adware and that adware will also display even when the device is in locked condition.
Researchers are strongly discouraging android smartphone users from downloading apps from unofficial sources other than the official Play Store.
In another research conducted by SophosLabs, it was revealed that the Google Playstore was filled with over 25 apps categorized as Fleeceware. And what’s terrifying about this update is that these apps were downloaded and installed over 600 million times on more than 100 million Android devices.
Fleeceware is a kind of fraudulent app-based malware where applications are found over-charging their customers even after they delete the app after the trial period by siphoning the money from the card information linked to the bank accounts of the respective users without their consent.
The post Android vulnerability leads to malware scare appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.
January 20, 2020 at 10:21AM
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