Slashdot Mirror
Malware Targets All Android Phones — Except Those In Russia (csoonline.com)
itwbennett writes: MazarBOT, a malware program that can take full control of Android phones, appears to be targeting online bank accounts. The malware has been seen advertised on Russian underground forums in the last few months and surfaced over the weekend. '[On] Friday, a swarm of SMSs were sent to random phone numbers in Denmark and likely elsewhere. The content of the SMS had the purpose of luring the recipient into clicking the provided link, which would serve up a malicious APK,' wrote Peter Kruse, an IT security expert and founder of CSIS Security Group. One interesting feature: 'MazarBOT will stop installing itself if it detects an Android device that is running within Russia,' writes Jeremy Kirk.
In Soviet Russia, malware not target you
Why is it that so much malware and online crime comes from Russia? The country simply refuses to police themselves, even when things are obviously illegal. The overall effects are pretty severe to other countries. I'd support sanctioning Putin directly to prevent him from entering the EU. Then I'd also effectively cut them off from the internet by terminating any wired links between them and the EU while dropping all connections coming from IPs assigned to entities in Russia. Cutting Russia off from the internet to the best of our ability is really the only way to stop the excessive crime from that country.
Is that right? owh.... what's kind of malware
A patch for Android that makes all phones think they are in Russia!
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
Here...phishy, phishy, phishy, phishy....
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
Firstly, the link in the article above takes you to a site which has nothing at all in it about Android malware. It's completely about Linux malware that's injected via Windows machines. So what the hell is it doing in the article as the primary link?
Then, if I understand correctly (based on the summary alone - because, you know, the primary linked article is clearly completely wrong), you'd need to:
1. Get an SMS with a link in it.
2. Click the link.
3. Get redirected to a website (which Chrome doesn't block).
4. Download an APK from that site.
5. Attempt to sideload it.
6. Realise you can't sideload it without disabling default security options (because the second link does indeed say that the user needs to manually install the APK).
7. Go disable default security options.
8. Sideload the APK.
WHO THE FUCK FALLS FOR THIS SHIT?!?!
Seriously? How the hell do people successfully find idiots who will do that kind of thing?
...Clever Estonians
Just set your phone's system date to 1-1-1970. That way, it doesn't know the Iron Curtain has fallen, and the malwares thinks it can't get into your fone.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Why is it that so much malware and online crime comes from Russia?
You could ask the same question about any large country including the United States. Russia in particular has a bit of the wild west going on and I think the authorities there might turn a blind eye if it negatively impacts rival countries.
The country simply refuses to police themselves, even when things are obviously illegal.
You mean like how in the US we have police straight up murdering black people without repercussions? Or how the NSA blatantly violates the constitution? Or how we imprison people in Cuba indefinitely without any trial? Yeah, Russia has some problems but it's not like our poop lacks odor...
I'd support sanctioning Putin directly to prevent him from entering the EU.
Umm, are you aware that Russia supplies much of the EU with huge amounts of oil and gas that cannot be gotten elsewhere quickly? All Putin has to do is shut off a key pipeline or two (which he has done a few times) and it gets awfully cold really fast in some parts of the EU. Furthermore actions like what you suggest are frankly kind of a juvenile response. Putin might be behind all of it (he isn't) but keeping the head of state of Russia arbitrarily out would accomplish very little and would actually do more harm than good in all likelihood.
Cutting Russia off from the internet to the best of our ability is really the only way to stop the excessive crime from that country.
No it really wouldn't.
Pftbtbt... this isn't real malware because it requires side-loading, and everyone knows that's super dangerous so you should only use the wall^H^H^H^H store. Let's meet over in the next thread so I can tell you about how awesome Android is because you can sideload apps!
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
This APK guy is a real problem. First he fucks up Slashdot with his spam and now he's highjacking Android phones all over the world? This is just unacceptable!
It's downmodded because of who posted it. In this instance, I have to say it should be modded up because it's actually useful information (well, 2/3 of it) but, after a tiff with the poster which resulted in me losing a fair bit of karma, I don't have available mod points to correct it; had I not been stabbed in the back, this would not be the case.
Instead, I'll just post (and without the karma modifier that will get my post in front of more eyeballs) to suggest that those with mod points make the correction for the better of the community.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
Sideloading is both perfectly safe and extremely dangerous at the same time. App I developed myself? Perfectly safe to sideload. Random app off the internet? Dangerous without implicit and properly-placed trust in the developer. App developed by my employer? Well, that depends on the employer and why they want me to install the app, but I'm probably safe there.
APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
I block crap I don't know who its from, simple as that.