RedDrop malware: After so many years of blogging we can be proud that we have never used terms like "Caution" in titles unless there is a good reason. The recently discovered RedDrop malware for Android is a very serious reason.
Malware works "underground" steals sensitive data from infected devices (including recorded phone calls) and stores them in Cloud storage accounts.
But it does not only do that…
RedDrop works like spyware eavesdropping, collecting information from the device, but also audio recordings from the victim's environment, along with of course all the data included on the device: photos, contacts, notes, saved Wi-Fi networks and nearby hotspots.
Researchers from the company security Wandera, who revealed it, refer to it as "one of the most advanced malware for Android". When RedDrop is installed no one realizes that their device is infected until they get the first bill…
The malware secretly sends SMS messages to a service that charges them, except από όλες τις δραστηριότητες spyware που αναφέραμε παραπάνω. Η εταιρεία ασφαλείας αναφέρει ότι το κακόβουλο λογισμικό είναι τόσο έξυπνο, που αμέσως μετά την αποστολή κάποιου SMS φροντίζει να αποκρύπτει επιμελώς όλα τα αποδεικτικά στοιχεία των μηνυμάτων που έχουν αποσταλεί.
In total, 53 applications used to distribute malware have been discovered.
RedDrop distributes these games: Space Game Free, Video Blocker, Cosmos FM, Plus Italy, Paint It Hot Tone and Ninja Slice. None of these apps comes from the official Google Play Store, but from Third Party Stores.
However, in order to direct the user to malware, the researchers found that scammers use a complex network that contains over 3.000 domains linked together in an effort to bypass and prevent detection techniques to increase the chances of malware software successfully on a device.
The initial download is simply a dropper, which when opened and running, will connect to a command and control (C&C) server to download additional archives.
When installed spyware starts collecting the data mentioned above and saves it to Dropbox or Google Drive. At the same time it starts to use SMS sending.
The combination of these actions is extremely destructive, both for the victim's privacy and for his financial situation.
Currently, it is not known exactly what the RedDrop team is (except for obvious financial gain), but their interest in data theft and sound recordings from infected devices indicates interest in espionage. As the team seems to have enough human resources that is capable of deploying too many applications, it also maintains sophisticated malware.
