Lookout Security Discovers New Android Malware That Is Almost Impossible to Remove
Lookout Security found a new kind of Android malware in software that can be downloaded from third-party app stores. The said malware projects itself as an established app but renders a device vulnerable to root attacks, Gizmodo reports.
The said apps will seem harmless at first because they will provide the same function as Facebook, Twitter, and other software from Google Play. However, they come with malicious code that gives them root access to the mobile OS. What makes the malware virtually impossible to remove is its ability to install a series of exploits that act as system apps, the report explains.
Hackers were able to come up with the malware by repackaging legitimate apps from Google Play and incorporating adware into them. Once downloaded, they can infiltrate a smartphone without the user's knowledge. Plus, the makers of the repackaged apps can make money from the ads generated, according to a ZDNet report cited by Latinos Post.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
As of now, there are three known types of the new Android malware — Shedun/GhostPush, ShiftyBug/Kemoge, and Shuanet. So far, researchers have observed that they only display ads. But their access to the OS itself is a vulnerability that could later be exploited to gain access to users' personal data, the report details.
When a user's private information is compromised by the entry of the malware, there may be no other option but to buy a new smartphone.
So far, Lookout Security has monitored 20,000 apps that contain the new Android malware. The said apps are present in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Russia, Indonesia, India, Jamaica, and Sudan.
Thankfully, Lookout Security says the malware has no way to access the real Google Play Store. But all Android users are advised to be extra vigilant when they download apps from third-part stores because researchers are predicting that the malware will become more difficult to deal with in the long run.
