Android malware spreads through compromised legitimate Web sites


By Dancho Danchev

Over the past 24 hours, our sensor networks picked up an interesting website infection affecting a popular Bulgarian website for branded watches, which ultimately redirects and downloads premium rate SMS Android malware on the visiting user devices. The affected Bulgarian website is only the tip of the iceberg, based on the diversified portfolio of malicious domains known to have been launched by the same party that launched the original campaign.

More details:

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FakeAV for Android! There you are!


By Nathan Collier

Every super hero has an arch nemesis. For a lot of Threat Researchers, including myself, Rogue Security Products, or better known as FakeAV, is theirs. Back in the day when I was primarily a PC malware fighter, FakeAV was a prevalent threat that was always coming up with new ways to infect users nearly every other day. I knew it was only a matter of time that the same malware authors would turn mobile. I am afraid those days are upon us. How could I ever forget such an identifiable logo:

“Android Security Suite Premium”… yeah, right!  This spy which is being called Android.FakeSecSuit   retrieves incoming sms messages, extracts the phone number and message, and then sends the stolen info off:

As you can see in the GET command from the PCAP, highlighted in blue is the phone number and message I sent to my test phone now being sent off to a site.

Now that the developers of the popular FakeAV malware have entered into the mobile world expect to to see a lot more variations of this… and if they follow the same pattern as they did in the PC world, I mean A LOT! We are seeing it in Torrents and/or alternative markets. Remember, when downloading Android apps choose them wisely and download  from a trusted source. Check reviews, research the developer and verify  permissions requested before downloading. And of course, scan with Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile.

Evolution of Android Malware “The touch, the feel of being tricked into sending premium SMS messages, the worst feeling of our lives” (Part 3)


by Nathan Collier

Android.SMS.FakeInst is a Trojan that aims to do one thing — trick users into sending premium SMS messages by pretending to be an install for an app.  Here’s how the scam works: The user sends three premium SMS messages in exchange for an app, but there is no guarantee that it will actually install anything after they already have your money.  These malicious apps are getting harder and harder to discern as malicious as the look and feel of these apps get better through newer iterations.  One variant of these Trojan apps, which comes from a known malicious site, looks better with each update.  Let’s start with one of the first iterations of this variant.

The icon looks fairly convincing:

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