Hiding malicious code in legitimate apps found in the actual app stores for various devices is not a new concept. In fact, several examples were found in 2015. However, leave it up to those crafty cybercriminals to come up with something new that tricks us by using what we think are safe applications. Malwarebytes has discovered something new in this area. Instead of hiding malicious code in legitimate apps, now the bad guys are hiding that code in plain sight.
In the past, the apps such as Flashlight LED Widget, Good Weather, and JSocket, which used the Angry Birds game to do its wares, were the carriers of the code. This one takes the functionality of the app itself and uses it against us. The app, which was found legitimately in the Google Play Store, infiltrated a multimedia app called FFmpeg. It could take screenshots, record video, monitor usage, and detect when a user was at a financial institutions site. It could use that to steal login credentials.
What is there to do to prevent this?
Don’t Sideload -- Even though this one and others were in the actual app stores, it’s still a bad idea to sideload (download from third party sites) apps and software. Sometimes they do make it past the security screening process in the official stores, but more often than not, they are caught. This time, the malicious code was removed within a couple of days, although not without infecting thousands of devices. Sideloaded apps don’t typically go through nearly as much security scrutiny, so it’s better to steer clear of them.
Pay attention to requested permissions -- If it is a flashlight app, for example, it doesn’t need camera access or administrator permissions. In fact, if any app is asking for administrator permissions, just say “no.” Given this level of access, a bad actor can get full control over your device. The vast majority of apps don’t need this and it’s probably a safe bet that anything mainstream (and even not so mainstream) most definitely doesn’t need it.
Read reviews before downloading anything to your devices. If there are only a few reviews and they are all five stars, be skeptical. Wait for more people to be the guinea pigs before jumping in.
Use security products -- Keep anti-malware on your devices and keep it and all other application updated with the latest patches and versions.
Keep current backups of your important data. There are many options for this; to your computer, to the cloud, to an external hard drive. One surely works for you.
For banks and credit unions
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