Android: Google fixes 49 security breaches - Geeko

Despite the security measures put in place by Google to offer safe applications on the Play Store, malware regularly manages to make its way to the application store. Cybersecurity researchers and other specialists just as regularly reveal the presence of fraudulent applications on the Play Store.

Recently, there were reports of applications corrupted by malicious code intended to steal their users' Facebook credentials. A discovery that we owe to researchers from the company Evina, specializing in cybersecurity.

In their report, the experts explain that the 25 applications were the result of the work of a single group of hackers. They had developed different services - step counters, image editors, flashlight, file manager, as well as mobile games - in an attempt to reach a large audience and therefore multiply the number of potential victims. The illusion was perfect since the apps actually offered the advertised services, but they played a double game; they were hiding malware.

Facebook IDs for target

The malware embedded in the apps monitored which service was open on the smartphone and, if it was Facebook, it displayed a false identification page on the screen to retrieve the identifiers of its victims who wish to connect to Facebook .

Android: 25 applications removed from the Play Store for theft of Facebook identifiers - Geeko

Credit: Evina

Getting your hands on Facebook user IDs is a great opportunity for hackers. Indeed, many sites allow you to identify yourself via your Facebook account. Having Facebook identifiers means being able to connect to various websites, but also recovering private data from victims' accounts. In addition, hackers can also test stolen credentials on other platforms.

The cybersecurity company shared its findings with Google, which has removed problematic applications. As usual, it is not recommended to install applications from unknown developers and publishers. A passage in the comments and a search on the web will sometimes avoid unpleasant surprises.

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  • Application
  • Mobile app
  • Smartphone
  • Password
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cyber ​​attack
  • Personal data
  • Android
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • High-Tech