There’s a new scammer app for Android that acts as an upgrade, but it’s really trying to steal your data.
System Update is its name, and stealing your data is its aim. The giant spyware is the latest scam application created to download all of the information on your phone, Gizmodo reports. It will also monitor your movements and take note of your search history.
Researchers with mobile security Zimperium found the fake upgrade app. The specialists have classified the application as a Remote Access Trojan (RAT), which is malware that will allow a hacker to access and manipulate your device from far away, the site reports.
Users download the RAT app under the impression that it will help keep their device up to date. However, it is actually sending all your information to a Command & Control server. The researchers said the RAT is always looking out for “any activity of interest, such as a phone call, to immediately record the conversation, collect the updated call log, and then upload the contents to the C&C server as an encrypted ZIP file.”
Zimperium CEO Shridhar Mittal says he believes the app is a part of a “targeted attack.” The outlet reports that the app can tap into a person’s instant messenger messages, call logs, phone contacts, photos, videos, and more. It can also access and monitor your GPS location.
“It’s easily the most sophisticated [RAT] we’ve seen,” Mittal told TechCrunch in an interview. “I think a lot of time and effort was spent on creating this app. We believe that there are other apps out there like this, and we are trying our very best to find them as soon as possible.”
