Google Play Store Sees Sudden Surge of Malicious Apps

[LASER_oneXM]

The Google Play Store is seeing a wave of malware-infested apps like never before. Four separate security companies have reported —or are preparing to release reports— on malware campaigns currently underway via Android apps available on the Play Store.


Reports published today by Dr.Web, Malwarebytes, and McAfee reveal the presence of three new Android malware families hidden in games and apps uploaded on the Play Store.


An ESET spokesperson told Bleeping Computer the company also found a new multi-stage malware strain they're going to detail in a report later today.

Grabos pushes fake notifications for app installs

Based on the details included in the reports, the most complex and widespread threat is the Grabos malware found by McAfee researchers.


The McAfee team says it identified 144 Play Store apps containing this new threat, in most cases disguised as audio players and apps for downloading MP3 music files.


Based on statistics from 34 of the 144 apps, McAfee says the malicious applications have been downloaded between 4.2 million and 17.4 million times.

Grabos' main purpose is to show fake notifications on infected devices that trick users into downloading and installing other apps. Based on its mode of operation, it is fair to believe the operators are using Grabos to gain revenue as part of a pay-per-app-install scheme.

For a deeper dive into Grabos modus operandi and its source code, check out the McAfee

, which also contains a list of Play Store apps infected with this new malware threat.

AsiaHitGroup targets Asian users only
The second Android malware that came to light today was discovered by security researchers from Malwarebytes, which they named AsiaHitGroup because it uses an IP address blacklist to target only users in Asian countries.

AsiaHitGroup was initially found in a QR scanner app named "Qr code generator – Qr scanner" that was also available through the Play Store.

On infected devices, the AsiaHitGroup malwarewould download second-stage threat —an SMS trojan— whose main functionality is to subscribe users to premium phone numbers via SMS.

Android adware loads websites in hidden browser

A third campaign that impacted the official Google Play Store and that also came to light today was documented by Dr.Web. This campaign centered around an adware strain the company identified as Android.RemoteCode.106.origin.


Researchers found this trojan in nine Play Store apps that had between 2.37 million and 11.7 million downloads.

After users installed any of the tainted apps, they would open a website in a hidden WebView (browser) component. This process artificially boosted a website's traffic numbers and helped some site operators make money from ad impressions.

 

[upnorth]

The article lacks the McAfee source but I included that here so anyone can check out for themself.

New Android Malware Found in 144 GooglePlay Apps