Android Is Destroyed by New Malware Half a Million Devices Are Affected
A team of researchers has uncovered the evil intentions of cybercriminals after they released a dangerous piece of malware called BadBox. One of the most dangerous Trojans ever, it has been of interest to authorities throughout its history, and now it’s back to wreak havoc by infecting 500,000 Android devices. Fortunately, the operation was successful in blocking access to these devices, but it could have ended much worse.
The Satori Human Intelligence Group became the heroine of this terrible, but ultimately lucky, story. Its members launched a global operation, in cooperation with Google, to disable half a million devices equipped with highly effective malware. The malware was named BadBox 2.0 due to the growth of its computing network, as it was found pre-installed on a large number of mobile phones, tablets, set-top boxes, and smart TVs of unknown brands that integrate the Android operating system.
In total, up to 24 suspicious apps were found from the Google Play Store, which acted as an intermediary to download the virus and initiate its transmission. In this way, the criminals were able to take control of users’ devices with the main goal of extracting passwords and personal data, although human analysts comment that multiple groups of hackers with different roles and interests were involved. Among these companies, names such as SalesTracker, which specializes in infrastructure management; MoYu, experts in developing backdoors and botnets; Lemon, which specializes in ad fraud campaigns; and LongTV, creators of illicit apps, were reported.
Amidst all the commotion, Google has expressed its deep gratitude for HUMAN’s involvement in dismantling the malware and thus protecting users. However, the multinational company asks users to stay away from any device that does not have the official protection of Google Play Protect, as they may be exposed to dangerous situations and potential scams.