The malware "Agent Smith" has been downloaded on 25 million Android devices

Check Point warns

Malicious applications from a campaign called "Agent Smith" have been downloaded on 25 million Android devices, according to a new study by the Israeli company's cyber security Check Point.

The applications, most of the games, have been distributed in third-party app stores by a Chinese group whose business is legitimate to help Chinese developers to promote their applications on external platforms.

Check Point does not identify the company because it works with local customers, but said more than 300,000 devices had been infected in the United States.

The malware was able to copy popular applications to the phone, including WhatsApp and the Opera web browser, inject its own malicious code and replace the original application with the custom version, using a vulnerability in the Google apps update.

Backdoor applications work but hide malware from users. Armed with all the permissions granted by users to real-world applications, "Agent Smith" hijacked other applications on the phone to display unwanted ads to users.

Check Point's analysis and response team for mobile devices, Aviran Hazum, warned that the same security flaws could be used to hack into banking, shopping, and other applications. sensitive.

There was also a "dormant" version of "Agent Smith" in 11 apps from the Play Store, which could have been triggered by an ad banner containing the keyword "infect". Apps have since been removed from the Play Store, but have been downloaded more than 10 million times.