An android malware in the guise of an online privacy app, is
all set to cause a lot of harm as it’s resurfaced as a more malicious version
of itself and has acquired spy abilities.
The application tries to trick the users into downloading and
then starts working its method.
Triout, the application is created to help users dodge
censorship on the internet.
The campaign had been active since May last year, under the
guise of an adult
application.
August, 2018 is when the spyware was discovered, because of the
massive amounts of information it was harvesting, including photos, text
conversations, and phone conversations.
Collecting GPS information about the victims and making the
user’s location vulnerable are two of the other mal effects.
With changed tactics and better malicious effects to it, the
malware is being distributed under the cloaks of a stolen but legit privacy
tool from Google play store.
Psiphon is the privacy tool behind whose face version Triout
is hiding. This application is widely used and has been downloaded like a million
times.
Third party sites also provide this app on their platforms,
in case hackers don’t seem to have access to play store of Google.
The fake version of Psiphon works in exactly the same way as
the real version of it. The looks and the interface have all been cleverly
matched.
A particular type of set of victims is being targeted via
Triout so that it doesn’t raise much suspicion.
When the malware was discovered it was found to be targeting
users from Germany and South Korea.
Spear-phishing is another concept that is reportedly being
employed by the cyber-cons to ensure that the users download their malicious
app.
The way to lure in the victims and the commands and controls
of Triout have been cunningly altered to extract a hike in the success rate.
Reportedly, the updated versions of Triout are being
uploaded from various distinct locations of the world, a few being Russia,
France and US.
The origin of the campaign and the cyber-cons behind it are
still behind the curtain and this is what makes Triout more malicious.
According to the
leading security researchers, this application possesses super spying powers and
is deliberately fabricated to perform activities like espionage.
The researchers implore the users to download applications
only from official sites and try to steer clear off any suspicious looking applications
and refrain from downloading it.