Malware authors apply different tricks to bypass Google Play Store restrictions. For Android users, Google Play Store is the most sought-after market to get free and paid apps, and that is where the effective target lies. One of the essential things in malware’s success is distribution. Malware authors are evolving with their techniques every day. Inspection bypass and distribution tricks It accesses contacts and sends a link to every contact in the system via SMS and WhatsApp message, which is hosted on some mega account which on download turns out to be a banking trojan-banker. It asks for contacts and SMS permission which seems unnecessary for an app that would check oxygen saturation level. Fake oximeter apps were found that took user’s fingerprint data for Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, etc.
FAKE PAYTM APP APK REGISTRATION
Two similar apps imitating legitimate oximeter and vaccine registration app are found, as mentioned in Karnataka DGP’s tweet last week. Trojan masquerading as benign oximeter app A new malicious application serving the same purpose has come to light, along with another app that was meant to check a person’s oxygen saturation level. A similar app was found and mentioned in the earlier blog regarding the co-win app.
Malware authors make use of apps that are already launched and keep sneaking on current statements made by authorities regarding apps that will use for vaccination registration.
At Quick Heal Security Labs, we have been tracking such applications to identify malware-laced apps misusing the official apps meant to ease the lives of people and authorities.Īs mentioned in our previous blog, various Arogya Setu apps were found malicious. Several apps were developed in different countries and states for easy management and tracking of COVID-19 cases. People crawled from one situation to another, and so did the malware trend. No one had expected a new chapter to the current life devouring pandemic.