New Android Malware Mimics Google +
Android, News, Software
It’s a sad reality we all have to live with- as long as we have software, we’re going to have malware. Developers of malicious code are anything but stupid- they know exactly how to prey on their targets, exactly how to fool their marks into handing over what they want. This time around, the chosen avenue of delivery is Google +. Well, sort of.
Trend Micro discovered a new string of viral code yesterday dubbed “Nickispy.C.” It’s pretty similar to other malware programs from its family, but at the same time, it’s learned a few new tricks. Looks like whoever’s responsible for the family this stuff’s from has been working on their game a bit. In case you were wondering, yes this is a bad thing for us. First and foremost, how it hides what it is.
Nickispy.C presents itself as an application known as “Google ++.” Anyone who isn’t paying a great deal of attention could very easily download this fake version of the official Google + app. It even uses the same icon as G+, in order to further confuse some poor, unsuspecting sap into loading it onto their phone. Once it’s loaded onto an Android device, you should know what comes next. It has a field day with the personal information of whoever happens to own the phone.
It’ll start by doing the usual- stealing text messages, recording GPS positions, and taking note of call logs. Now, while those are all some pretty nasty functions, we’ve yet to get to the worst part- it’ll answer your calls. For some reason, whoever wrote this application decided that they wanted to listen to or record any and all phone conversations on infected devices. In other words, if you inadvertently install this malware, say goodbye to your privacy.
No word on where it came form, as of yet. I should hope it’s from a third party website. Otherwise, the situation with the Android marketplace is a lot more dire than we thought.
There’s a silver lining in all this, though. The security exploit that this application uses only effects Android 2.2 or lower. The vulnerability’s patched in later releases, preventing the application from changing the phone’s state without consent. Of course, given that Android 2.2 is still the OS of 74% of Android users the world over…
Yeah. Gingerbread needs to hurry up and distribute.
Via Phandroid
Image Credits: Technology Blog, Phandroid
