Wednesday, May 7, 2025
HomeUncategorizedAndroid Malware Masquerades as Chrome Browser Reads SMS & Intercepts Emails

Android Malware Masquerades as Chrome Browser Reads SMS & Intercepts Emails

Published on

SIEM as a Service

Follow Us on Google News

Threat actors primarily target remote access and control of victims’ devices by employing deceptive tactics. They often create fake apps or pose as legitimate ones to trick users into downloading malicious software, compromising the targeted devices’ security and privacy. 

This approach allows them to gain unauthorized access, potentially steal sensitive information, or carry out other malicious activities. 

Cybersecurity researchers at K7 Security Labs recently identified Rusty Droid RAT, a stealthy Android malware masquerading as a Chrome browser to read SMS and intercept emails.

- Advertisement - Google News
The malware masquerades as ‘Chrome’

Technical Analysis

Rusty Droid persists by repeatedly prompting the user to enable Accessibility Service, concealing its icon from the app drawer once granted.

Accessibility permission request (Source – K7 Security Labs)

Before linking to C2, the Rusty Droid malware collects the following data:

  • Contact info
  • Accounts
  • App list

With accessibility permissions, it decrypts ‘LqL.json’ to an executable DEX file and deploys ‘settings.xml’ with the C2 server IP and bot ID.

This Trojan abuses the Android Accessibility Service as a keylogger, stealing victims’ data like passwords, credit card details, and messages and sending it to cybercriminals for identity theft and fraud, with a connection to C2 server “176.111.174[.]191.

Malicious C2 Panel (Source – K7 Security Labs)

This malware can collect keystrokes during user interaction with those applications to steal login information, including cryptocurrency wallet seed phrases, by connecting to a control server to get a list of targeted programs.

Apps Targeted

Here below, we have mentioned all the targeted applications:

  • com.android.vending
  • ar.bapro
  • ar.com.santander.rio.mbanking
  • ar.macro
  • at.spardat.bcrmobile
  • at.volksbank.volksbankmobile
  • au.com.amp.myportfolio.android
  • au.com.bankwest.mobile   
  • au.com.cua.mb   
  • au.com.ingdirect.android   
  • au.com.macquarie.banking   
  • au.com.mebank.banking   
  • au.com.newcastlepermanent   
  • au.com.suncorp.SuncorpBank   
  • com.BOQSecure   
  • com.BankAlBilad   
  • com.CredemMobile   
  • com.EurobankEFG   
  • com.IngDirectAndroid   
  • com.a2a.android.burgan   
  • com.abnamro.nl.mobile.payments   
  • com.adcb.bank   
  • com.advantage.RaiffeisenBank   
  • com.akbank.android.apps.akbank_direkt   
  • com.anz.android.gomoney   
  • com.aol.mobile.aolapp   com.appfactory.tmb   
  • com.bancodebogota.bancamovil   
  • com.bancomer.mbanking   
  • com.bancsabadell.wallet   
  • com.bankaustria.android.olb   
  • com.bankinter.launcher   
  • com.bankinter.portugal.bmb   
  • com.bankofqueensland.boq   
  • com.barclays.android.barclaysmobilebanking   
  • com.barclays.ke.mobile.android.ui   
  • com.bbva.bbvacontigo   
  • com.bbva.netcash   
  • com.bbva.nxt_peru   
  • com.bcp.bank.bcp   
  • com.bendigobank.mobile  
  • com.boubyanapp.boubyan.bank   
  • com.boursorama.android.clients   
  • com.kutxabank.android   
  • com.kuveytturk.mobil   
  • com.latuabancaperandroid 
  • com.caisseepargne.android.mobilebanking   
  • com.cajasur.android   
  • com.cbd.mobile   
  • com.cbq.CBMobile   
  • com.chase.sig.android   
  • com.cibc.android.mobi   
  • com.cic_prod.bad   
  • com.citi.citimobile   
  • com.citibanamex.banamexmobile   
  • com.citibank.mobile.citiuaePAT   
  • com.clairmail.fth   com.cm_prod.bad   
  • com.coinbase.android   
  • com.comarch.mobile.banking.bgzbnpparibas.biznes   
  • com.comarch.security.mobilebanking   
  • com.commbank.netbank   
  • com.csam.icici.bank.imobile   
  • com.db.mm.norisbank   
  • com.db.mobilebanking  
  •  com.db.pbc.miabanca   
  • com.db.pbc.mibanco   
  • com.dib.app   
  • com.discoverfinancial.mobile   
  • com.finansbank.mobile.cepsube   
  • com.finanteq.finance.ca   
  • com.fullsix.android.labanquepostale.accountaccess   
  • com.fusion.banking   
  • com.fusion.beyondbank   
  • com.garanti.cepsubesi   
  • com.getingroup.mobilebanking   
  • com.greater.Greater   
  • com.grppl.android.shell.BOS   
  • com.grppl.android.shell.CMBlloydsTSB73   
  • com.grppl.android.shell.halifax   
  • com.htsu.hsbcpersonalbanking   
  • com.imaginbank.app  
  •  com.infonow.bofa   
  • com.ingbanktr.ingmobil   
  • com.isis_papyrus.raiffeisen_pay_eyewdg   
  • com.itau.empresas   com.kasikorn.retail.mbanking.wap   
  • com.konylabs.capitalone   
  • com.konylabs.cbplpat   
  • Com.magiclick.odeabank   
  • com.moneybookers.skrillpayments   
  • com.mobileloft.alpha.droid

IOCs

IOCs (Source – K7 Security Labs)

Protect yourself from vulnerabilities using Patch Manager Plus to quickly patch over 850 third-party applications. Try a free trial to ensure 100% security.

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

Top Ransomware Groups Target Financial Sector, 406 Incidents Revealed

Flashpoint analysts have reported that between April 2024 and April 2025, the financial sector...

Agenda Ransomware Group Enhances Tactics with SmokeLoader and NETXLOADER

The Agenda ransomware group, also known as Qilin, has been reported to intensify its...

SpyCloud Analysis Reveals 94% of Fortune 50 Companies Have Employee Data Exposed in Phishing Attacks

SpyCloud, the leading identity threat protection company, today released an analysis of nearly 6...

PoC Tool Released to Detect Servers Affected by Critical Apache Parquet Vulnerability

F5 Labs has released a new proof-of-concept (PoC) tool designed to help organizations detect...

Resilience at Scale

Why Application Security is Non-Negotiable

The resilience of your digital infrastructure directly impacts your ability to scale. And yet, application security remains a critical weak link for most organizations.

Application Security is no longer just a defensive play—it’s the cornerstone of cyber resilience and sustainable growth. In this webinar, Karthik Krishnamoorthy (CTO of Indusface) and Phani Deepak Akella (VP of Marketing – Indusface), will share how AI-powered application security can help organizations build resilience by

Discussion points


Protecting at internet scale using AI and behavioral-based DDoS & bot mitigation.
Autonomously discovering external assets and remediating vulnerabilities within 72 hours, enabling secure, confident scaling.
Ensuring 100% application availability through platforms architected for failure resilience.
Eliminating silos with real-time correlation between attack surface and active threats for rapid, accurate mitigation

More like this

PostgreSQL Vulnerability Allows Hackers To Execute Arbitrary SQL Functions

A critical vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-7348 has been discovered in PostgreSQL, enabling attackers to...

Security Risk Advisors Announces Launch of VECTR Enterprise Edition

Security Risk Advisors (SRA) announces the launch of VECTR Enterprise Edition, a premium version...

4 Leading Methods of Increasing Business Efficiency 

The more efficient your core business operations, the more motivated and productive your employees...