Android just can’t look like to shake off its malware issues. A new malware campaign targeting Android has been found to connect in ad fraud at least since early June 2019.
The findings, disclosed by cyber-security firm CSIS Security Group, disclose that the malware known as Joker is designed to secretly sign up users for premium service subscriptions, in addition to theft the victim’s contact list, SMS messages, and device information.
In total, CSIS found 24 Android apps on Google Play that are described below and contains the malware, Trojan, and virus, racking up more than 472,000 downloads by unsuspicious Android individuals before Google eventually purged the infected software from its platform.
Joker’s operators have specifically gone after victims in 37 countries, including China, Australia, India, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, the UK, and the UAE, and the US.
According to CSIS, the malware not only obfuscates the modus operandi of delivering the actual malicious consignment from the command-and-control (C&C) server owned by the attacker. It’s been involuntary to generate “as little trail as possible” by hiding within advertisement frameworks used in the apps.
Moreover, periodically requesting new commands from the C&C server, the Trojan goes a step further by mutely hijacks SMS messages, and clicking on Ads that contain the approval code to verify payments of Subscription.
The apps in question are as follows:
- Age Face
- Advocate Wallpaper
- Altar Message
- Antivirus Security – Security Scan
- Certain Wallpaper
- Climate SMS
- Beach Camera
- Board picture editing
- Collate Face Scanner
- Cute Camera
- Declare Message
- Display Camera
- Ignite Clean
- Leaf Face Scanner
- Mini Camera
- Great VPN
- Humour Camera
- Soby Camera
- Spark Wallpaper
- Dazzle Wallpaper
- Rapid Face Scanner
- Reward Clean
- Ruddy SMS
- Print Plant scan
If you have any of the apps installed or mentioned above, it’s worth checking your transaction history to see if there are any suspicious expenses that you don’t recognize. Also, ensure too closely scrutinize your permissions for every app installed on your Android device.
Image Credit: TheNextWeb
