Android Devices Under Attack from Malicious Malware

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

Malware attacks are growing steadily despite all the protection against this disease. Hacking has become an organized cyber crime with people specialized in this “art”, coming together to wreck havoc against the computer and cell phone software. 

U.S law enforcing authorities have cracked down upon number of groups - local and international - involved in cybercrime.

Rogue gang on the loose

One of the famous is a gang of Chinese cybercriminals, Luckycat - targeting employees at high positions in prestigious professions, such as executives in the aerospace, energy, and engineering industries. Since the news came out in June 2011, Lucycat has evolved into a sophisticated and malicious cybercrime gang. Their first target was Windows in 2011, while in early 2012 the gang targeted a Javascript with SabPub, which was injected through a flaw in its mechanism, to spy on Mac OS systems.

Now, Android devices are on target of Luckycat, reported by Trend Micro, a security company with evidences.

Android phones targeted

Trend Micro collected the evidences after a thorough investigation of Luckycat’s command and control center, which led to the discovery of two incomplete and undelivered Android apps - along with deliveries of SabPub through exploitation of Javascript. The two Android apps were called “testService” - were not easy to detect - the only thing that give away the presence of these apps inside the software was the one of the icons was visible. This clearly showed that the hackers were trying to get the apps in a stealth mode, so that they go undetected.

Imitating a Trojan

The two Android apps imitated behaviors of a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) - exhibiting ability to locate sensitive data and upload them to a remote server. However the "remote shell" command was incomplete, meaning the attackers couldn't take real-time control of the devices, which saved the devices for a while.

Explaining the dangers of being able to remotely control devices in real time, Tom Kellermann, director of cyber security at Trend Micro, said that if the attacker finds out from your phone's calendar that you have a meeting in ten minutes, he/she could just activate the mic.

Lookout Mobile confirmed that it detected the same malware samples in a device, all clearly in debug mode since the output was all debug messages.

Transfer of Malware to the target

There are several options - is followed to the core - can help attacker easily transfer malware into the target’s Android phone, working as Android spyware. Trend Micro observed malwares can be transferred through SMS or email containing a download URL disguised as something legit. Sabpub, for instance, was delivered through poorly-spelt emails appealing to Tibetan sympathizers.

Should You Worry?

There are not high chances of you being targeted, as Luckycat targets huge enterprises and companies; but you should be aware that the same malware could be used to target your Android phone. Few simple, but effective counter measures you can take are :

1. Download apps from trusted sources like Google Play and Amazon Android app Stores.

2. Don't click on strange links or attachments in the emails.

RELATED: Tightening Android Security Against Data Stealing Applications

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*by andreascy*

Web Proxy Helps the Users Secure Their Information Online

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description : 

With increase in security issues in the internet, users need to be more vigilant about ways to secure their operating systems and data. A recent security breach on Twitter and Linkedln, caused by the DNS Trojan attack, left millions of users scared. To counter the growing threat of malware, internet and computer security is also beefing up - which can be done by implementing a web proxy. 

A web proxy is basically a task when merged with a firewall, which turns into a proxy server. The proxy server allows the users to browse web pages on computers other than their own - on the user’s command; the proxy server adapts it and sends to the requested computer - helping the users to secure their data as they don’t come into contact with the internet and the web page directly but through the proxy server.

Experience fast internet usage

This would be a wise choice to use proxy web; it not only secures your data, but also transforms your internet browsing into a much faster experience. The process is very simple yet effective - while logging onto a website it deposits caches on the user’s computer which can be visited when the user logs in next time.

Sometimes situations arise when users have to give access to third party users to your network, which may cause security issues - albeit with web proxy the threat reduces to considerably. Widely used networks that need third party access are websites and online businesses and cloud computing or data uploads websites - requiring users to act as an administrator to other users. But there is a flip side to this situation, that if the web-site or portal has a glitch any internet hacker can exploit it. Glaring example is of Nike’s website, which suffered a minor malfunction - that was manipulated by an American college baseball player and bought more than $80,000 Nike’s goods from the website.

DMZ covers every chance of glitches

Such glitches can be exposed or avoided by creating a “Demilitarized Zone” or the DMZ - simple to process, as it’s just a step further from implementing internet firewall - but a huge step in securing your information. It functions like a fence outside your house, which helps you guard the garden and everything which is valuable to you.

It’s quite simple to set up a DMZ - it requires the user to have a network of interconnected computer connected in the middle by a computer between the internet connection and the firewall. It works as an important server computer that connects to all but the information available on the server isn’t accessible to other computers.

All for your benefit…

You can easily find a website that operates as a proxy on Google. Although proxy can help secure you from third party attacks sometimes proxy’s get overloaded with traffic and slow down. Nevertheless, these proxies are helpful as they provide security measures, which help the users to secure their computer from third party exploitation and infections. If you’re a Windows user then turn the Firewall option on and download an anti-virus to keep you safe.

RELATED: How Big is your Digital Footprint?

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*by andreascy*

Mac OS Gets Targeted Again With Clever New Trojan

Posted by Unknown

Description :

Mac OS X attacked by new Clever Trojan named OSX/Crisis. A new Mac OS threat is discovered which is capable of infecting OS X 10.6 “Snow Leopard” and OS X 10.7 “Lion” systems without requiring a password, or any user interaction. 

Andrew, director of security operations for nCircle, declared, “Mac malware is no joke. Despite Apple’s marketing hype about security, it should be obvious to everyone that their devices are susceptible to malware. Earlier this year the Flashback Trojan infected hundreds of thousands of Macs. The new OSX/Crisis malware is another Apple wake up call.”

All naive Mac users should wake up as their days of security by obscurity are over. Apple's so-called self proclaimed "world's most advance operating system" is getting attacked more often recently. It may be a good marketing strategy but Apple needs to step up and offer users practical, effective security support.

READ NEXT: Are You Underestimating the Importance of Data Security?

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*by andreascy*

Android Malware Infects 1-5 Millions Downloads: Report

Posted by Andreas Christodoulou

Description :

Android malware has infected possibly one to five million downloads - "the highest distribution of any malware identified so far this year," a major security company reports.

As posted on its blog, Norton by Symantec identified 13 apps on the Android Market that are all hiding Android. Counterclank, a Trojan horse that steals information, and could also download more files and display ads on the device. 

The combined total downloads of those apps could be as high as five million. These are the apps, which are mostly games that appeal to those who like guns and girls (some of them are more risque than others).

Some of these apps are still available on the Android Market, so consider yourself warned if you still want to download anyway.

As shown in 2011, when McAfee research pinned Android as "the most 'popular' platform for new malware" by the third quarter, Google's mobile operating system and Android Market continue to be irresistible to malware. Lookout Mobile Security's "Malwarenomics: 2012 Mobile Malware Predictions" report found that for U.S. Android users, the likelihood of clicking on an unsafe link is 40 percent.

With downloads from Android Market reaching 10 billion in December, we're likely to see more malware slipping through, and more need for increased vigilance and discretion when choosing apps.
A well known Android security developer, have argued that this isn't malware, it's just aggressive advertising. 

Eventhough, we await Google’s response to Symantec’s findings with interest. 

YOU MIGHT LIKE: How to Protect Your Company’s Email Against Cyberattack

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*by andreascy*