ANDROID ALERT – Terrifying malware can spy on almost EVERYTHING you do on your phone
ANDROID smartphone fans have been put on alert about a terrifying strain of malware which lets cybercriminals spy on almost everything they’re doing.
By DION DASSANAYAKE
Express.co.uk
Sat, May 5, 2018
Android users are being warned about a sophisticated strain of malware that lets hackers spy on virtually any activity performed on an infected phone.
The malware can steal information about contacts, pictures, call logs, messages and browser data from affected Android phones.
It can also make audio recordings of calls made on the device and also silently dial out to numbers itself.
The malicious software, dubbed ZooPark, also has a keylogging feature – meaning it can steal usernames, passwords and order a phone to take pictures.
The malware was discovered by researchers at leading cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab.
In a blog post, cyber threat researcher Alexey Firsh outlined how the Android malware operates.
They said the malware has been hitting Android targets since at least June 2015.
But at the moment it is only focusing on devices in the Middle East areas such as in Morocco or Egypt.
Firsh wrote: “ZooPark is a cyberespionage operation that has been focusing on Middle Eastern targets since at least June 2015.
“The threat actors behind the operation infect Android devices using several generations of malware, with the attackers including new features in each iteration.”
The researcher added: “We have observed two main distribution vectors for ZooPark – Telegram channels and watering holes.
“The second one was the preferred vector: we found several news websites that have been hacked by the attackers to redirect visitors to a downloading site that serves malicious APKs.”
ZDNet reported that the malware campaign had all the hallmarks of a state-backed action.
Speaking to the tech website, Firsh added: “This campaign is very targeted, which made the malware very challenging for researchers to discover.
“The group obviously has a large background in offensive security operations and a lot of resources.”
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