Smartphones of Android users are again under a malware attack, this time with unsolicited unwanted ads.
Did you know hackers develop Android malware every 17 seconds? Well, this one is one of them.
Android users in more than 20 countries have become victims of an aggressive malware program that hammers their android devices with unwanted advertisements.
FireEye researchers identified that the malicious software, which has been dubbed Kemoge, was found in an apparently legit app available on third-party app stores.
According to FireEye’s staff research scientist Yulong Zhang “this is another malicious adware family, possibly written by Chinese developers or controlled by Chinese hackers, spreading on a global scale that represents a significant threat.”
Kemoge has been repackaged into legitimate apps by its creator and then promoted on websites as well as on in-app ads to lure people into downloading them.
The affected apps have also been listed by Zhang, the list includes:
Assistive Touch, Calculator, Easy Locker, Talking Tom 3, Sex Cademy, Smart Touch, Shareit, Kiss Browser, 2048kg, Privacy Lock, WiFiEnhancer and Light Browser.
It is evident that third-party app stores are becoming riskier than before because hackers frequently upload apps that contain malicious codes.
Zhang wrote that Kemoge not only displays unwanted ads but also contains right root exploits.
Through these exploits, the malware targets various Android devices. If a hacker is able to conduct an exploit successfully, it becomes easier to gain full control on the device.