WhatsApp: Extremely dangerous Android malware spreads in the app

New malware discovered on WhatsApp Serious potential security risks for Android smartphonesThe attack exploits your trust in your contacts to spread a link to a malicious app.

ESET researcher Lukas Stefanko explains in a video how these numerous Android malware works: “This malware spreads through the victim’s WhatsApp app by automatically responding to all WhatsApp notifications with a link to a malicious version of Huawei Mobile.”

Do not click on fake Play Store links shared by your WhatsApp contacts

When you click on the link itself, you find yourself directed to a page that looks exactly like the Google Play Store. The app asks for many permissionsFor example, it requires access to notifications so it can remain active in the background and display an overlay on your other apps.

Here’s how these three permissions are used: Access to notifications allows the malware to share the malicious app’s link with anyone who texts you or replies to one of your messages. Background launch and overlay are two dangerous permissions that allow the app to run.Observe what you do in other applications.

Malware is therefore vacuum highly sensitive dataLike your passwords and banking details. The researcher says the campaign’s goal is currently to cause adware to be installed or to redirect victims to malicious subscriptions. The researcher still believes its instigators They can easily turn their attacks into something more dangerous..

Part of how the malware works actually relies on instructions from a remote server. There is currently no real way to protect yourself against this malware, other than never downloading an app shared by your contacts on WhatsApp.

Source : Hacker News