Monday, April 14, 2025
HomeMalwareMalicious Android ads leads to Automatically Download and Install Apps that Contain...

Malicious Android ads leads to Automatically Download and Install Apps that Contain Malware in Android Devices

Published on

SIEM as a Service

Follow Us on Google News

Malicious Android Apps are growing rapidly and it used to target victims in Many ways. Spreading Malware through malvertising campaign in Popular Forum Leads to automatically downloading Android apps by advertisements posted on forums.

This malvertising campaign Found in on of the Forum called “GodLikeProductions,” where used Reported about automatically apps are downloading when users visit the Forum.

Forums Hosts have randomly removed the visitors Complaints messages about this Malicious Advertisement which leads to Download the Malware Apps.

- Advertisement - Google News
Also Read A Malvertiser called “RoughTed” Bypass Ad-blocker and Get Half a Billion visits in 3 Months
Malicious Android ads leads to Malware auto Installation

Malicious Downloaded APK from Forum

Researchers From zscaler Discovered, the APK file called “ kskas.Apk,”  and the App name Mentioned as “Ks Clean,” which used to Automatically downloaded form the  “GodLikeProductions,”   forum.

Once this APK Automatically installed into victims Android Device, its asked to update the used by Displaying te fake system update pop-up.

This system updates popup only option presented to the user is to select the “OK” button, forcing the user to accept the message.

Also Read Beware: Malicious Payload “Hworm” Dropped Through Embedded Youtube Video’s
Malicious Android ads leads to Malware auto Installation
Malicious Android ads leads to Malware auto Installation

Once Victims Pressed the “OK” Button, its promote into installing another Malicious APK file called “UPDATE”  This APK is stored locally inside the assets directory of the app. Once installed, the Update app immediately asks for Admin rights.

Malicious Android ads leads to Malware auto Installation

According to the Zscaler,”Once the app gains admin rights, it becomes impossible to remove it from the device. The traditional “Uninstall” option, by default, becomes disabled, because a user cannot remove apps with admin rights. Usually, one can uninstall such apps by first removing admin privileges via settings, but this app uses an unconventional method — registering as an Android receiver — to preserve its admin privileges.”

This malicious App Stats that, Once Victims tried to uninstall this app, suddenly phone gets locked for few seconds.

Some other suspicious activities, including:

  • Mount/Unmount filesystems
  • Read/Write bookmarks history
  • Overlay system window
  • Write Settings
  • Download Without Notification
AlsoRead 200 Million Downloaded video players including VLC Player are vulnerable to Malicious subtitles Attack -A Complete Takeover Attack
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

Kaspersky Shares 12 Essential Tips for Messaging App Security and Privacy

In an era where instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage, Viber, and...

Threat Actors Manipulate Search Results to Lure Users to Malicious Websites

Cybercriminals are increasingly exploiting search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and paid advertisements to manipulate...

Hackers Imitate Google Chrome Install Page on Google Play to Distribute Android Malware

Cybersecurity experts have unearthed an intricate cyber campaign that leverages deceptive websites posing as...

Dangling DNS Attack Allows Hackers to Take Over Organization’s Subdomain

Hackers are exploiting what's known as "Dangling DNS" records to take over corporate subdomains,...

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

Hackers Imitate Google Chrome Install Page on Google Play to Distribute Android Malware

Cybersecurity experts have unearthed an intricate cyber campaign that leverages deceptive websites posing as...

TROX Stealer Harvests Sensitive Data Including Stored Credit Cards and Browser Credentials

Cybersecurity experts at Sublime have uncovered a complex malware campaign revolving around TROX Stealer,...

GOFFEE Deploys PowerModul in Coordinated Strikes on Government and Energy Networks

The threat actor known as GOFFEE has launched a series of targeted attacks against...