Android app “ System Update ” is dangerous malware

Beware of a newly discovered malicious app that claims to update your phone but, in reality, is just a giant spyware app that can steal pretty much all of your data while monitoring your movements and history. online research.

Simply called System Update, the Android app was discovered by researchers at mobile security company Zimperium, who classified it as a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) —a wide category malware this Usually allows a hacker to access and manipulate your device remotely.

This particular RAT is downloaded with the promise of helping you keep your device up to date but, instead, scompletes all your information on a Command & Control server. Shridhar Mittal, CEO of Zimperium, recently told TechCrunch that he thinks the app is part of a “targeted attack”.

“It is by far the most sophisticated [RAT] we saw, ”Mittal told the store. “I think a lot of time and effort has gone into creating this app. We believe there are other apps like this and we do our best to find them as quickly as possible. “

The wide array of data this sneaky little bastard is capable of stealing is pretty awful. It includes: instant messaging messages and database files; call logs and telephone contacts; Whatsapp messages and databases; photos and videos; all your text messages; and information about just about anything on your phone (it will inventory the rest of the apps on your phone, for example).

The app can also monitor your GPS location (so it knows exactly where you are) hijack your phone’s camera to take photos, view your browser’s search history and bookmarks, and turn on the mic phone to record audio.

The app’s spy capabilities are triggered whenever the device receives new information. The researchers write that the RAT is constantly on the lookout for “any activity of interest, such as a phone call, to immediately record the conversation, collect the updated call log, and then upload the content to the C&C server as a encrypted ZIP file. “After stealing your data, the application will then erase the evidence of its own activity, hiding what he did.

Fortunately, this hellish trap was never offered on the Google Play Store, despite being available through a third-party store, the researchers write. Malicious apps like this are becoming an increasing problem for consumers, so it’s a great idea to limit the number of applications you have on your phone and at do your homework before you download – lest your data fall into the hands of some dark web jerk.