Monday, October 7, 2024
HomeMalwareAndroid Banking Malware Uses Fake Google Play Page to Spread to Devices

Android Banking Malware Uses Fake Google Play Page to Spread to Devices

Published on

In Brazil a large financial services provider, Itaú Unibanco has been targeted by an Android banking trojan, as the cyber security analysts at Cyble claimed. And this financial service provider has more than 55 million customers globally.

The Itaú Unibanco has been exploited by the threat actors to deploy an extraordinary trick to distribute to the devices. Here, to trick the users the threat actors use a fake page of the Android’s official Google Play app store by mocking it.

As this sneaky trick easily fools the users and makes them believe that they are installing the genuine app from the official app store of Android.

- Advertisement - EHA

In Brazil a large financial services provider, Itaú Unibanco has been targeted by an Android banking trojan, as the cyber security analysts at Cyble claimed. And this financial service provider has more than 55 million customers globally.

The Itaú Unibanco has been exploited by the threat actors to deploy an extraordinary trick to distribute to the devices. Here, to trick the users the threat actors use a fake page of the Android’s official Google Play app store by mocking it.

As this sneaky trick easily fools the users and makes them believe that they are installing the genuine app from the official app store of Android.

Besides mocking the Android’s official Google Play app store, the threat actors also mock the official Itaú Unibanco app by changing the icon with the original one.

APK Metadata Information

Here below we have mentioned the metadata information of the malicious APK:-

  • ​App Name: _lTAU_SINC/sincronizador 
  • ​Package Name: com.app.pacotesinkinstall 
  • ​SHA256 Hash: 3500c50910c94c7f9bc7b39a7b194bac6137cef586281ee22f5439bb2d140480 

Hacking The Original App

Once it infected the users’ devices then it starts executing its malicious operations in which, from the actual Play Store it attempts to open the authentic Itaú app to perform deceitful transactions by changing the input fields of the users.

Here during the installation process, the malicious app doesn’t ask for any special and dangerous permissions which makes it more sneaky for the AVs and helps to circumvent users’ observing radar.

Since it doesn’t request any special permissions, it primarily aims to exploit or abuse the Accessibility Service of Android, and it’s one of the key things that could easily allow an attacker to evade all the security on Android systems.

Prevent malware infection

Here below we have mentioned all the preventive measures provided by the Cyble analysts:-

  • Always download and install applications from official app stores only.
  • On your connected devices, you should always use good anti-virus and internet security solutions.
  • Always use a strong and complex password.
  • Try to use multi-factor authentication.
  • Always keep enabled the biometric security features.
  • On Android devices always keep enabled the Google Play Protect.
  • Always keep active devices, OS, and apps updated.
  • Always keep track before enabling any permissions.

Moreover, in case, if you need to install any Android APK files from outside the official store, then you should analyze and scan the APK files properly before downloading and installing them.

Besides mocking the Android’s official Google Play app store, the threat actors also mock the official Itaú Unibanco app by changing the icon with the original one.

APK Metadata Information

Here below we have mentioned the metadata information of the malicious APK:-

  • ​App Name: _lTAU_SINC/sincronizador 
  • ​Package Name: com.app.pacotesinkinstall 
  • ​SHA256 Hash: 3500c50910c94c7f9bc7b39a7b194bac6137cef586281ee22f5439bb2d140480 

Hacking the Original App

Once it infected the users’ devices then it starts executing its malicious operations in which, from the actual Play Store it attempts to open the authentic Itaú app to perform deceitful transactions by changing the input fields of the users.

Here during the installation process, the malicious app doesn’t ask for any special and dangerous permissions which makes it more sneaky for the AVs and helps to circumvent users’ observing radar.

Since it doesn’t request any special permissions, it primarily aims to exploit or abuse the Accessibility Service of Android, and it’s one of the key things that could easily allow an attacker to evade all the security on Android systems.

Prevent Malware Infection

Here below we have mentioned all the preventive measures provided by the Cyble analysts:-

  • Always download and install applications from official app stores only.
  • On your connected devices, you should always use good anti-virus and internet security solutions.
  • Always use a strong and complex password.
  • Try to use multi-factor authentication.
  • Always keep enabled the biometric security features.
  • On Android devices always keep enabled the Google Play Protect.
  • Always keep active devices, OS, and apps updated.
  • Always keep track before enabling any permissions.

Moreover, in case, if you need to install any Android APK files from outside the official store, then you should analyze and scan the APK files properly before downloading and installing them.

You can follow us on LinkedinTwitterFacebook for daily Cybersecurity and hacking news updates.

Balaji
Balaji
BALAJI is an Ex-Security Researcher (Threat Research Labs) at Comodo Cybersecurity. Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder - Cyber Security News & GBHackers On Security.

Latest articles

Hybrid Analysis Utilizes Criminal IP’s Robust Domain Data for Better Malware Detection

Criminal IP, a renowned Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) search engine developed by AI SPERA,...

RCE Vulnerability (CVE-2024-30052) Allow Attackers To Exploit Visual Studio via Dump Files

The researcher investigated the potential security risks associated with debugging dump files in Visual...

Cacti Network Monitoring Tool Vulnerability Let Attackers Execute Remote Code

A critical security vulnerability has been identified in the Cacti network monitoring tool that...

Microsoft & DOJ Dismantles Hundreds of Websites Used by Russian Hackers

Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have disrupted the operations of Star...

Free Webinar

Protect Websites & APIs from Malware Attack

Malware targeting customer-facing websites and API applications poses significant risks, including compliance violations, defacements, and even blacklisting.

Join us for an insightful webinar featuring Vivek Gopalan, VP of Products at Indusface, as he shares effective strategies for safeguarding websites and APIs against malware.

Discussion points

Scan DOM, internal links, and JavaScript libraries for hidden malware.
Detect website defacements in real time.
Protect your brand by monitoring for potential blacklisting.
Prevent malware from infiltrating your server and cloud infrastructure.

More like this

DCRAt Attacking Users Via HTML Smuggling To Steal Login Credentials

In a new campaign that is aimed at users who speak Russian, the modular...

LummaC2 Stealer Leverages Customized Control Flow Indirection For Execution

The LummaC2 obfuscator employs a novel control flow protection scheme designed specifically for its...

Octo2 Android Malware Attacking To Steal Banking Credentials

The original threat actor behind the Octo malware family has released a new variant,...