10 August 21, 12:17
Quote:Researchers have uncovered a new Android trojan, dubbed FlyTrap, that’s spread to more than 10,000 victims via rigged apps on third-party app stores, sideloaded apps and hijacked Facebook accounts.
In a report posted on Monday, Zimperium’s zLabs mobile threat research teams wrote that FlyTrap has spread to at least 144 countries since March, via malicious apps distributed through Google Play store and third-party app marketplaces. The malware, which researchers have traced to operators working out of Vietnam, is part of a family of trojans that use social engineering to take over Facebook accounts, the researchers said.
The session-hijacking campaign was initially distributed via Google Play as well as third-party app stores. For its part, Google Play removed the malicious apps after Zimperium zLabs gave it the heads-up.
They are, however, still being distributed on third-party, unsecured app stores, “highlighting the risk of sideloaded applications to mobile endpoints and user data,” Zimperium pointed out.
Read more: Android Malware ‘FlyTrap’ Hijacks Facebook Accounts