Mobile malware evolves: Adware now breaks and roots your phone

[RV_]

Noq these are nasty infections for Android phones and are not FUD as they are active now, not a "Proof Of Concept."

 

Excerpt:

 

"The highest detection rates are in the US, Germany, Iran, Russia and India.

 

The repercussions of becoming infected can be nasty. Lookout says that victims infected by Shedun, Shuanet, and ShiftyBug might end up using their smartphones as doorstops and replacing them with new mobiles entirely. As the adware roots the device and installs themselves as system files, they "become nearly impossible to remove, usually forcing victims to replace their device in order to regain normalcy."

 

Businesses are not safe from the consequences of infection, either. If rooted devices are granted access to a corporate network, especially if legitimate apps are hijacked by the malware, the cyberattackers may be granted access to sensitive data or be able to use mobile devices as a springboard into wider network infiltration.

 

Unfortunately, developers may also come under fire -- while victims of the malware which repackages their apps in the first place, the blame may end up being placed at their feet, resulted in a tarnished reputation.

 

"We expect this class of trojanized adware to continue gaining sophistication over time, leveraging its root privilege to further exploit user devices, allow additional malware to gain read or write privileges in the system directory, and better hide evidence of its presence and activities," Lookout says

.

In related news, cybersecurity firm Fidelis revealed JSocket this week, a remote access Trojan (RAT) evolved from the AlienSpy malware which is able to infect both PCs and mobile devices. The RAT, tracked in global phishing campaigns, is able to take over legitimate Android applications and bury itself while controlling your device and stealing sensitive data."

 

The details and methods used are in the full article here: http://www.zdnet.com/article/mobile-malware-evolves-adware-now-breaks-and-roots-your-phone/?tag=nl.e589&s_cid=e589&ttag=e589&ftag=TREc64629f

[Pieere]

I only do downloads on my Android phone from PlayStore as the articles comments state. My 3rd party apps are shut off! Thanks for the info and You Rock; RV.

[RV_]

YW bud!

 

But you might have missed this right at the beginning of the article:

 

Excerpt:

 

"In the past, adware was little more than a nuisance. Whether by PC or mobile device, the only real gateway cyberattackers could take advantage of was enticing viewers to click on a banner or ad, resulting in the download of fake software or malicious applications.

 

Times have now changed and it may only take a victim viewing a compromised Web page for third-party apps to be installed without user consent."

[Pieere]

Oh well! thieves are everywhere we turn!!! Just have to be as vigilant as we can!

[RV_]

You bet! And that vigilance is worth more than a ton of AV programs we override with a click on an attachment or a rigged page.