Privacy News CopyCat Malware Infected 14M Android Devices, Rooted 8M, in 2016

[LASER_oneXM]

A family of Android malware was so successful that at its peak, over the course of two months last year, it infected 14 million devices and rooted more than half of them, roughly eight million devices.

Researchers said early Tuesday the strain of malware, dubbed CopyCat, helped its authors earn $1.5 million – primarily through ad fraud – from April to May 2016.

Researchers with Check Point’s Mobile Research Team, who found the malware in March this year, claim CopyCat mostly infected Android users in Southeast Asia, but that upwards to 280,000 U.S. Android users were also infected. According researchers, Asia accounted for 55 percent of CopyCat infections. Africa, at 18 percent, accounted for the second highest number of infected devices.

 

[Deletedmessiah]

Thats a big number. The malware never made to Play Store. So mostly because of the cracked apps.

 

[_CyberGhosT_]

Thats a big number. The malware never made to Play Store. So mostly because of the cracked apps.

Right, and as cheap as Apps are on the playstore, I have not one ounce of pitty if they
get infected because they decide to steal rather than be honest.

 

[Deletedmessiah]

Right, and as cheap as Apps are on the playstore, I have not one ounce of pitty if they
get infected because they decide to steal rather than be honest.

I can understand if its the students without bank account pirating apps. But they're not the only ones. I too don't feel bad for others. Unlike desktop software, Android apps are really cheap. And you won't need many because of all those good free ones available.

 

[ravi prakash saini]

majority of people do not know even the word open source .so can not blame all of them when price is multiple by the ratio between dollar and local currency
for example in the price of MS Office I can buy a low end laptop in my country

 

[jamescv7]

Considering the fact where Android security enhancements are purely mediocre therefore any malicious programs that integrated with deadly attacks is just as easy for another round of million in statistics.