Experts have found a new spy app, classified as sophisticated, which monitors the camera and even WhatsApp or SMS messages on Android phones. The application, capable of triggering the microphone and transmitting call data and documents stored on the cell phone, was never registered in the Play Store, Google's official store.
Credit: Wikimedia mons/Reproduction
The discovery was announced by security company Zimperium and is capable of accessing virtually all smartphone data and resources. Zimperium is part of the App Defense Alliance, a group formed by Google to improve Android security.
The spy program arrives on the user's cell phone disguised as a system update and is installed along with other applications offered in alternative stores. Once installed, it hides its icon and disappears from the main list, making it difficult to remove.
What draws the attention of specialists is the broad scope of the program to gain access to telephone data. The app accesses the internet and receives data from a control server, which indicates what data should be collected.
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What data is collected?
Among the monitored information are all types of messages exchanged via SMS and apps or WhastApp. If the phone is rooted, the spy “sees” the entire database, including deleted messages.
All content of any type of notification is also exposed, as well as the history of calls made and received; the contact list, browsing history and browser favorites; and general device data, including everything installed on the device, storage statistics, and the clipboard.
GPS location data can also be monitored. The device's microphone and camera become capable of recording calls, taking pictures and recording videos, which are exported in thumbnails to reduce data consumption. The application also accesses documents in PDF and Microsoft Office files less than 30 MB.
The emergence of the new spy app reinforces security recommendations for Android users: avoid unofficial stores and do not carry out the “root” process, since the mechanism enhances the capabilities of malicious apps.
Source: G1
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