Dozens of Android Apps for Kids on Google Play Store Caught in Ad Fraud Scheme

More than 50 Android apps on the Google Play Store—most of which were designed for kids and had racked up almost 1 million downloads between them—have been caught using a new trick to secretly click on ads without the knowledge of smartphone users. Dubbed "Tekya ," the malware in the apps imitate...

Lock and Code S1Ep2: On the challenges of managed service providers

This week on Lock and Code, we discuss the top security headlines generated right here on Labs and around the Internet. In addition, we talk to two representatives from an Atlanta-based managed service provider—a manager of engineering services and a data center architect—about the daily challeng...

Google’s War on Android App Permissions, 60 Percent Successful

Overzealous Android apps that needlessly ask for permissions to handset resources such as contact lists and location data are not only obnoxious, but also potential privacy threats. To address this hot-button issue with Android users Google implemented a strict permission policy designed to curb...

Stalkerware Attacks Increased 50 Percent Last Year, Report

The number of stalkerware attacks on mobile devices increased 50 percent over the last year, showing an upward and continued trend in the emerging threat, researchers said. Over the past year, the instances of stalkerware—which tracks users without their knowledge and can result in harassment,...

Mobile malware evolution 2019

These statistics are based on detection verdicts of Kaspersky products received from users who consented to provide statistical data. Figures of the year In 2019, Kaspersky mobile products and technologies detected: 3,503,952 malicious installation packages. 69,777 new mobile banking Trojans...

Reddit: Race condition leads to Inflation of coins when bought via Google Play Store at endpoint https://oauth.reddit.com/api/v2/gold/android/verify_purchase

Hi, Summary: When we purchase coins from Reddit's mobile app using Android, https://oauth.reddit.com/api/v2/gold/android/verifypurchase is called with parameters like transactionid and token. There exists a race condition on this endpoint which allows an attacker to get coins many times more than...

New 'Haken' Malware Found On Eight Apps In Google Play Store

Researchers have identified eight malicious Android apps in the official Google Play marketplace distributing a new malware family. The “Haken” malware exfiltrates sensitive data from victims and covertly signs them up for expensive premium subscription services. The eight apps in question, which...

Google: Efforts Against Bad Android Apps on Play Store Are Working

Some of the efforts Google has made over the past few years to bolster the security of Android app users as well as the mobile apps available on its Google Play store are starting to work, according to the tech giant. The company, which historically has struggled mightily to keep bad apps and...

Phishing Campaign Targets 250 Android Apps with Anubis Malware

A new phishing campaign is attempting to deliver sophisticated malware that can completely hijack an Android mobile device to steal user credentials, install a keylogger and even hold a device’s data for ransom. The attacks are designed for mobile inboxes and leverage the Anubis malware, a...

This Week in Security News: ZDI Bug Hunters Rake in $1.5M in 2019 and Metamorfo Trojan Malware Campaign Targets Online Banking Users

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, read about Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative’s $1.5 million in awards and other noteworthy milestones in 2019. Also, learn about a crafty...

Talos Takes back with new episode, feed

By Jon Munshaw. Talos Takes, our new bite-size podcast, is back with its own feed and a new show. We first unveiled Talos Takes in early December, and took some time to develop a new Talos Podcasts page to accommodate Talos Takes and Beers with Talos. Now you have two Talos shows you can subscrib...

Defend Yourself Now and in the Future Against Mobile Malware

The world has gone mobile and the US is leading the way. It’s estimated that that the number of smartphone users alone topped 257 million in the States in 2018. That means three-quarters 74% of households now boast at least one mobile device. And in this new digital world, it’s mobile application...

News Wrap: PoC Exploits, Cable Haunt and Joker Malware

This week’s news wrap podcast breaks down the biggest Threatpost security stories of the week, including: Various proof-of-concept exploits being released for serious vulnerabilities this week – including for the recently-patched crypto-spoofing vulnerability found by the National Security Agency...

‘Fleeceware’ Apps Downloaded 600M Times from Google Play

Google has made a concerted effort in recent months to try to eliminate bad apps for its Android mobile platform on the Google Play store—something the company historically has battled. However, fleeceware apps—which trick users into paying excessive amounts of money for simple apps with...

Joker Android Malware Snowballs on Google Play

Google has removed 17,000 Android apps to date from the Play store that have been conduits for the Joker malware a.k.a. Bread – and in an analysis of the code, said that Joker’s operators have “at some point used just about every cloaking and obfuscation technique under the sun in an attempt to g...

This Week in Security News: INTERPOL Collaboration Reduces Cryptojacking by 78% and Three Malicious Apps Found on Google Play May be Linked to SideWinder APT Group

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, learn about how Trend Micro’s collaboration with INTERPOL’s Global Complex for Innovation helped reduce cryptojacking by 78% in Southeast...

Smartphone shopaholic

Have you ever noticed strange reviews of Google Play apps that look totally out of place? Their creators might give it five stars, while dozens of users rate it with just one, and in some cases the reviews seem to be talking about some other program entirely. If so, you may be unknowingly...

3 Google Play Store Apps Exploit Android Zero-Day Used by NSO Group

Watch out! If you have any of the below-mentioned file managers and photography apps installed on your Android phone—even if downloaded from the official Google Store store⁠—you have been hacked and being tracked. These newly detected malicious Android apps are Camero, FileCrypt, and callCam that...

ToTok Returned to Google Play Despite ‘Spy Tool’ Claims

Mobile application ToTok has been reinstated to the Google Play app ecosystem, after it was removed last month due to claims that it was being used for government espionage. ToTok, a social app that was released in 2019 and has been downloaded by millions, gained rapid popularity in the United Ar...

Twitter Fixes Bug that Enabled Takeover of Android App Accounts

Twitter for Android users are being urged to update their app to avoid a security bug that allows a malicious user to access private account data and could also allow an attacker to take control of accounts to send tweets and direct messages. The warning comes from Twitter who said there are no...