SpyDealer Android Malware Can Steal Data From Over 40 Apps; Affects Millions of Devices: Researchers
Sanket Vijayasarathy, 10 July 2017
SpyDealer Android Malware Can Steal Data From Over 40 Apps; Affects Millions of Devices: Researchers
HIGHLIGHTS
Malware affecting Android OS between 2.2 and 4.4
Around 500 million devices potentially affected
Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype among those affected
Following last week's report on the CopyCat Android malware that affected 14 million devices in 2016, a fresh report this week has discovered a new Android malware, called SpyDealer, that can steal data from over 40 popular apps including Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram and more, potentially exposing personal data of millions of Android users.
The SpyDealer malware is reportedly effective only on devices that are running older Android operating systems, specifically between versions 2.2 Froyo and 4.4 KitKat. Considering that Froyo is no longer running on active Android devices and going by this month's Android distribution numbers, it looks like around 26 percent of active Android users around the world are potentially vulnerable to the malware. And with a total of two billion active Android devices, this translates to around 500 million devices that can be attacked by the malware.
Researchers at Palo Alto Networks have found that the malware steals personal user information including phone numbers, messages, contacts, call history, connected Wi-Fi information and location of the device. Furthermore, it also has the ability to tap into phone calls and videos, take photos with both the front and rear camera, and screenshots that can capture personal information.
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