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Researchers Uncover Android Malware With Never-Before-Seen Spying Capabilities (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: According to a report published Tuesday by antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab, "Skygofree" is most likely an offensive security product sold by an Italy-based IT company that markets various surveillance wares. With 48 different commands in its latest version, the malware has undergone continuous development since its creation in late 2014. It relies on five separate exploits to gain privileged root access that allows it to bypass key Android security measures. Skygofree is capable of taking pictures, capturing video, and seizing call records, text messages, gelocation data, calendar events, and business-related information stored in device memory. Skygofree also includes the ability to automatically record conversations and noise when an infected device enters a location specified by the person operating the malware. Another never-before-seen feature is the ability to steal WhatsApp messages by abusing the Android Accessibility Service that's designed to help users who have disabilities or who may temporarily be unable to fully interact with a device. A third new feature: the ability to connect infected devices to Wi-Fi networks controlled by attackers. Skygofree also includes other advanced features, including a reverse shell that gives malware operators better remote control of infected devices. The malware also comes with a variety of Windows components that provide among other things a reverse shell, a keylogger, and a mechanism for recording Skype conversations.
Isn't "surveillance ware" what they do?
I find such things immensely distasteful. >.
Hm. Gives me an idea for an app! appy app apps!
The "Civilized World" jumped the shark ca. 1973.
Kaspersky can publish all the reports they want.
No responsible IT professional will trust this known Russian government surveillance company into their network knowingly.
1 - How can I tell if I'm infected?
2 - Where can I get it?
3 - How much does it cost?
for testing purposes...
I will stick to a safe and professionally coded software like iOS, which is real Unix.
... and let me guess, 90%+ of Anrdoid devices today will never receive updates that close all the exploits this thing takes advantage of.
Android: For when you want to receive only semi-regular security updates for only a handful of models from a few manufacturers for a few years tops.
Google's habit of having everything in beta for nearly, or completely, its lifespan leads to things like this. The new features are the ones majorly being exploited. Accessibility getting around security? That is a major screwup considering that Android phones don't get regular updates. Some lower cost phones will never receive a patch and will be compromised for the entire time it is owned.
Skygofree makes use of several Android exploits to do what it does. CopperheadOS is based on AOSP but the focus is on tweaking things for security and rebuilding everything with more conservative compiler settings (preferring security over speed).
To what extent are the latest builds of CopperheadOS vulnerable to Skygofree?
According to Conventional Wisdom(TM) Meltdown and Spectre are MUCH worse, leading to patchy BIOS updates, BSODs and varying levels of performance loss. Perhaps a dose of perspective, which this helps bring to the table, is in order - finally.
But Rick, you can't be one of the cool kids if you don't have one!
But Rick, you're a luddite if you don't have one!
But Rick, you're not interesting enough for anyone to spy on!
But Rick, you're obviously paranoid and wearing a tinfoil hat, you should just calm down and get one anyway!
..and all the other lame-ass crap people post when I say this.
If you want what's left of your privacy, and actual data security preserved, GET RID OF YOUR SMARTPHONE!
And the holes it opens are bigger.
And less like a warning for a product that you can apparently find by looking towards an Italian Security company.
-Remember that internet thing? It didn't end well.
I'm never giving up the dial phone hanging on my wall.
I will stick to a safe and professionally coded software like iOS, which is real Unix.
Many people are grateful of those many naked celebrity photos from Apple. After apple crippling users phones I am astonished anyone would buy from them. They continue to be ethically bankrupt.
Skygofree is a reminder that so-called implant software sold to governments and police forces, sometimes in countries with poor human rights records, remains a threat to people using a wide variety of devices and operating systems.
It looks like it is a product sold to security agencies and police forces around the world. They might force the installation of this software by the sellers in their countries, or install it once they arrest the dissident. It is a spyware alright, but it might not be a garden variety virus that infects you unbeknownst to you.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
... they have no reason to adhere to NDAs by the various terror... err, I mean spying... err, I mean not stupidity but "intelligence" organizations, and can finally leak all the nasty shit.
I hope.
Instead of just "morer simplurer, durr", as is customary with "the other one".
I agree though... anything that doesn't support me installing an open-source OS, thanks to driver availability, is defective by design. ... stolen.
But hey, gotta make a profit! Not actually earn anything. Let alone work for the money! Nah, work as little as possible, and all the rest of the income is basically
Tell me again why I shouldn't get the antivirus that catches the real bad guys?
We had this back in 1999 and probably even before.
I used it and its successors for administration, before remote desktop solutions became commonplace.
Yes, you could do really shitty things with it. But as an admin, and it being my very first job ever, I wanted anything, but to come across as creepy. So I told everyone about it, and installed it in a way that they could be asked if they consented, before me doing anything but ask that. (Usually I had them on the phone anyway.) The only fun thing I did with it, was, during such a support session, offering the user a coffee cup holder *CD drive tray slides out*.
I came to this article thinking they were talking about Google Home!
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
"Italy-based IT company that markets various surveillance wares" a euphemism for Hacking Team?
It is an advertisement for some amazing features, since it is claimed to be able to run Windows and Skype on Android.
"Offensive security product"? Is that like "spending cuts in the tax code"?
What are some good, legitimate and effective anti-malware scanners, one can install on Android phones and tablets? Don't know much about them, but SO has a couple devices.
How deep can a scan go anyway? Doesn't all scanning occur in simple user space?
Appreciate any feedback!
That's the only relevant question here. Until drive-by downloads are a thing on Android, the only victims will be the common sense impaired.
- Stick to Play Store if you don't know what you're doing, and check the developer name, reviews and number of downloads of whatever app you plan to download for any red flags. Better still, stick to well known, popular apps.
- Keep the 'install apps from unknown sources' setting at its default state of unchecked if you're not smart enough to differentiate between malicious and benign 3rd party APKs.
- You don't need any sort of antivirus app on Android. This isn't Windows XP circa early 2000s where using IE6 would get you infected with silently installing malware.
"..One hosts to look them up, one DNS to find them, and in the darkness BIND them."