- Dec 15, 2013
- 150
A new type of Android malware has been observed in the wild, packaged with Android apps being distributed through non-Google app stores, infecting more than 600,000 new users each day.
This new malware has been named Ghost Push and was discovered by Cheetah Mobile, a leading Android developer responsible for popular apps like Battery Doctor, Cleam Master, CM Browser, CM Security, and CM Launcher.
According to Cheetah Mobile's estimations, the malware has currently infected 14,847 phone types and models, from 3,658 brands, with most of the infected users residing in Eastern Europe, Russia, India, Mexico, Venezuela, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and Southern China.
The company's security researchers claim to have gotten on the Ghost Push's trail after they frequently ran into support topics on Android forums asking for help in removing a few uninstallable apps.
Taking a closer look at the apps in question, the researchers found a malware hiding in its code which managed to root the victim's phone and install itself in the ROM. Read more
