A new commercial tool designed to allow cyber criminals to easily transform legitimate Android applications into malicious software has hit the underground market, paving the way for cheap and easy development of sophisticated Android malware. The developers who are behind
the creation of this virus are certainly street smart as they have named this
virus Dendroid, which resembles to the actual operating system: Android.
Ignorant and non-suspecting users can download this app assuming it to be safe
and something related to Android, thereby compromising the security and
functionality of their smart phones.
The toolkit is called
Dendroid and can be used to create “trojanized” apps—legitimate applications with malicious code added to
them—that connect back to a
command-and-control server over HTTP and allow
attackers to perform a variety of
malicious actions on devices that have
those apps installed.
Dendroid is marketed by
its creators as an Android remote administration tool (RAT) and is being sold for US$300, security researchers from Symantec said Wednesday in a blog post . Buyers receive a tool called an “APK Binder” that can be used to add the Dendroid RAT functionality and its required permissions to any clean APK (Android application package) as well as
access to a sophisticated PHP-based control panel that allows detailed management of the infected devices.
Dendroid’s features
include deleting call logs and
files; calling phone numbers; opening
Web pages; recording calls and audio
from the microphone; intercepting text
messages; taking and uploading
photos and videos; opening applications and launching HTTP flood
(denial-of-service) attacks for a period of time specified by the attacker. The virus was first detected
by Symantec. As per their research, “Dendroid is a HTTP RAT that is marketed as
being transparent to the user and firmware interface, having a sophisticated
PHP panel, and an application APK binder package.”.
The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team
(CERT-IN) warned about a currently active Dendroid malware campaign that is
spreading across India, targeting Android users.
"It has been reported
that a malicious toolkit called DENDROID is being used to create trojanized
applications that infects Android-based Smartphones. The malware is created by
modifying the required permissions by any clean APK (Android Application
Package) with Dendroid RAT functionality that allows detailed management of the
infected devices," the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In)
said in its latest advisory.Last month, CERT-In had warned Android Kitkat and
Facebook users regarding security hacks on their mobiles. And within 30 days,
this is the second such warning coming from India’s premier cyber security and
investigation cell.
MEASURES TO PROTECT
*.Install applications
downloaded from reputed app stores only.
*.Install apk files with
utmost care as some apks might be
modded by the hackers.
*.Keep updating your mobile
anti-virus and Firewall solution to protect your device from malware and cyber
attacks.
*.Always Check applications permissions
before installing it.
CONSIDER THESE APPS TO SECURE
YOUR PHONE
1.
Avast Mobile
Security
2.
McAfee WaveSecure
3.
Snap Secure
Mobile Security
4.
Norton Mobile
Security Lite
5.
mSecure Password
Manager
6.
AppScan Beta
7.
TrustGo
Anti-Virus and Mobile Security
8.
Bitfinder Mobile
Security
