Thousands of Android Malware Apps Use Stealthy APKs to Bypass Security

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In a recent study, Zimperium uncovered a concerning trend in Android malware that uses a tricky method to hide itself from antivirus programs. This APK can be installed on Android devices with an OS version above Android 9 Pie (API 28), reducing the possibility of being analyzed. 

How was this made possible

  • According to researchers, it was achieved by using an unsupported decompression method in the APK, which is essentially a zip file.
  • While the technique is not new and was first demonstrated in 2014, security researchers have begun noticing its impact only lately.
  • For instance, Zimperium found over 3,000 APKs in the wild, using this suspicious compression technique. 
  • A rather concerning part is that these APKs were not found on the official Google Play Store, indicating distribution via third-party app stores or sideloading using some social engineering or phishing attack.

Another sneaky tactic emerging lately

  • Just a few days back, Google revealed that hackers are still able to use a technique known as versioning to slip malware onto Android devices while evading the Play Store’s security processes. 
  • In this method, a developer releases an initial version of an app on the Play Store that passes Google's pre-publication checks but is later updated with a malware component.
  • This is achieved by pushing an update from an attacker-controlled server to serve malicious code on the end user device using a method called Dynamic Code Loading (DCL), thus, turning the app into a backdoor.

-L.K

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