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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.
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.
No that'd be NSA/Googlesoft :)
1 - How can I tell if I'm infected?
2 - Where can I get it?
3 - How much does it cost?
for testing purposes...
"Known"? The Annoying Orange claiming something is now "known"?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
... 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.
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.
Your local government(s) exactly want you to think that way, so that you don't use those tools that would detect their malware. They can silence local tool vendors using National Security Letters. But not these kind of foreign ones.
If you read the story, mostly Italians are infected, with a malware made by Italian company and likely used by Italian intelligence agencies...
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.
For values of "known" == "alleged" or even "highly suspected", perhaps.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
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.
Where does she enter the equation?
Is it possible in your little black-and-white world that thinking the Annoying Orange is simply and plainly a loonie doesn't automatically mean that I consider the bitch any better? You had an election last year, but no choice.
Back on topic: You wanted to show me some kind of proof that Kaspersky is spying for the Russians.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Maybe it is a case of 'have to be a thief to catch a thief'.
Tell me again why I shouldn't get the antivirus that catches the real bad guys?
CopperheadOS, as great as it is, is only available for a few devices. And given that it supports all the typical accessibility features I suspect it would still be vulnerable to this.
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.
Whatever. Am I going to hear where Kaspersky is spying for Russia?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
OK. I think there's a fair chance that Kaspersky is spying for Russia, at least occasionally. Now ask me about AT&T, or someone else, because it's not like that makes them different from any other company. Russia spying on me is a less direct threat than some US agency doing so.
It's quite appropriate to say than on US classified work should be done on any device running Kaspersky software. But I doubt than any British or Japanese company should trust software from the US.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
two sides.
it's true anyways.
however, I suspect google paid them off to emphasize accessibility service use, so google can remove it and cite that as reason.
because you know, if you have root, they can get the views without the accessibility server as well(this is necessary so they get the text fields contents without having to screencap the entire thing, which would work just as fine for spying as well).
and yes I have written an accessibility service for android - it was necessary so that I could know what app is in foreground, it's necessary because google removed other options for knowing that. it's a kiosk mode application/manager so it's not really any security issue to the user as such..
world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
So "there is a fair chance" is now translated to "it is known fact"?
What we have is allegations from the annoying orange. That's it. Their response was to have their source code audited for any possibility of collaboration with any state actor, which is more than I could say for Microsoft, Symantec or McAfee.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
"Offensive security product"? Is that like "spending cuts in the tax code"?
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."