A chat application for Android claiming to be a secure messaging platform comes with spying functionality and stores user data in an unsecure location that is publicly available.
Welcome Chat targets users from a specific region of the world and relies on open source code for recording calls, stealing text messages, and tracking.
The developers of Welcome Chat promoted it as a secure communication solution that is available from the Google Play store. Its intended audience are Arabic-speaking users. It’s important to note that some countries in the Middle East ban this type of apps.
Researchers at cybersecurity company ESET found that the app delivers more than the advertised chat functions and it was never part of the official Android store. [...]
The researchers say that monitoring the communication with other Welcome Chat users is at the core of this malicious app, which is complemented by the following malicious actions:
- exfiltrate sent and received text messages
- steal call history log
- steal the victim’s contact list
- steal user photos
- exfiltrate recorded phone calls
- send the GPS location of the device along with system info
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