SafeUM
Home Blog Services Download Help About Recharge

Axarhöfði 14, 110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015
SafeUM
Blog
Services
Download
Help
About
Recharge
Menu
Archive
TOP Security!
14 Oct 2014

New mobile trojan as Tic-tac-toe game targets Android devices

A Tic-tac-toe game is actually a new mobile trojan – detected as Trojan-Spy,AndroidOS.Gomal.a, or Gomal – targeting Android devices.

Gomal is capable of recording audio from the microphone, stealing incoming SMS messages, stealing device information such as cell phone number, obtaining root privileges, dumping memory regions of some processes in order to obtain sensitive data, and stealing data from the device log, Victor Chebyshev, a Kaspersky Lab expert, told SCMagazine.com in a Friday email correspondence.

“We suppose that the trojan is being spread via unofficial application stores, forums or via SMS spam – [the] exact attack vector is still unknown,” Chebyshev said, going on to add, “There is still no information from our users and we don't see any attack attempts. We suppose that it's an APT attack against some individual person.”

Upon obtaining root access, the trojan will pilfer emails from Good for Enterprise if the application is installed, according to a Friday post, which adds that the Tic-tac-toe game code only accounts for less than 30 percent of the file's size, with the remainder being used for the data theft and spying.

Packaging trojans in mobile games is common – there are multiple cases of attackers doing so using the popular Angry Birds, Chebyshev said, explaining that people should install a security solution to remove the Gomal threat and remain protected.

Gomal uses many techniques initially incorporated into Windows trojans, the post indicates.

“And, most dangerously, the principles upon which this technique is based can be used to steal data from applications other than Good for Enterprise – it is likely that a range of mobile malware designed to attack popular email clients, messengers and other programs will appear in the near future.”

UPDATE: In a statement sent to SCMagazine.com on Sunday, Good for Enterprise developer Good Technology said that the Tic-tac-toe app is a proof-of-concept app that Lacoon Mobile Security presented at Black Hat 2013, without the cooperation of Good Technology. Lacoon confirmed this in a Sunday email correspondence. Lacoon's demonstration was only effective in the face of Samsung Exynos memory access vulnerability CVE-2012-6422, which has since been patched, or if the device had been 'rooted,' the statement indicates. "The rooting of the device and granting of the necessary privileges can be detected by Good's root detection technology," according to the statement. "The default settings in Good Technology solutions have root detection enabled, and Good strongly recommends using this capability in its documentation. This attack is therefore ineffective in recommended deployments of Good's products." The statement indicates that the malware is not available in the wild and that the attack would apply to any mobile application.

Tags:
Tic Tac Toe Android trends information leaks trojan
Source:
Kaspersky Daily
Author:
Alex Savitsky
2154
Other NEWS
3 Jul 2020 safeum news imgage An encrypted messaging service has been infiltrated by police
4 May 2020 safeum news imgage Two-Factor Authentication ​What Is It and Why You Should Use It
12 Dec 2019 safeum news imgage Encryption is under threat - this is how it affects you
4 Nov 2019 safeum news imgage Should Big Decisions Be Based on Data or Your Intuition?
7 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage VPNFilter malware infecting 500,000 devices is worse than we thought
4 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Hackers target Booking.com in criminal bid to steal hundreds of thousands from customers
1 Jun 2018 safeum news imgage Operator of World's Top Internet Hub Sues German Spy Agency
30 May 2018 safeum news imgage US says North Korea behind malware attacks
29 May 2018 safeum news imgage Facebook and Google targeted as first GDPR complaints filed
25 May 2018 safeum news imgage A new reason to not buy these cheap Android devices
24 May 2018 safeum news imgage Flaws in smart pet devices, apps could come back to bite owners
23 May 2018 safeum news imgage Google sued for 'clandestine tracking' of 4.4m UK iPhone users' browsing data
21 May 2018 safeum news imgage LocationSmart reportedly leaked phone location data onto the web
18 May 2018 safeum news imgage The SEC created its own scammy ICO to teach investors a lesson
17 May 2018 safeum news imgage Thieves suck millions out of Mexican banks in transfer heist
All news
SafeUM
Confidential Terms of Use Our technologies Company
Follow us
Download
SafeUM © Safe Universal Messenger

Axarhöfði 14,
110 Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland - 2015