Kaspersky Lab spotted a new spyware, named Skygofree, and called it one of the most powerful espionage tools for Android the company has ever seen. It has been active since 2014, and once installed, it can secretly take pictures, record videos, and seize data from your phone. According to PC Mag, although “WhatsApp is built with end-to-end encryption, the spyware can still lift messages from the app. It does so by exploiting Android’s Accessibility Services to read the content displayed over the messaging service. Another never-before-seen feature is the spyware’s ability to eavesdrop on the victim when the device enters certain locations”.
As,unfortunately, everybody knows, Android devices are easier targets for viruses and spywares than the Apple devices, therefore one must pay a lot of attention when having one, especially when playing an important role in a company or having compromising pictures or videos on your mobile phone, even the situation is improving.
According to Wired, in an annual report on the security of the world’s 1.4 billion Android devices released by Google in March 2017, less malware winds up in its Google Play store, devices are better encrypted, and more hackers than ever report Android bugs to Google in exchange for so-called “bug bounties.” But Google has also released solid data for the first time on Android’s most serious security problem: the challenge of getting dozens of manufacturers and hundreds of carriers around the world to cooperate on regularly patching Android phones and tablets. “On that point, the company argues that a 50 percent annual patching rate beats where it’s been in the past—but it’s still not remotely good enough,” adds Wired.
Still, in Jury 2017, Amazon was suspending sales of Blu phones for including preloaded spyware, again. “Blu, a Miami-based budget Android phone company, has been suspended from selling on Amazon after cybersecurity experts detailed how software preloaded onto its devices collects sensitive user data and sends it overseas, according to CNET. Kryptowire, a Virginia-based security firm, said last week during the BlackHat security conference in Las Vegas that spying software from Chinese company Shanghai Adups Technology was still present on certain Blu handsets. The software leaves users vulnerable to remote takeovers and having their text messages and call logs recorded, as well as other forms of discrete data collection,” wrote The Verge.
And the story does not end here. As digitaltrends.com points out, an investigation conducted by mobile security researchers at Trustlook in December found that 43 manufacturers, including brands such as Lenovo and Gionee, contained similar spyware. According to the firm’s report, the software collects serial numbers, software version numbers, operator information, and texting and call data from infected phones; the company found traces in All Win Tech smartphones in Taiwan, Archos devices in France, DEXP phones in Russia, and Prestigio hardware in the Czech Republic.
If you want to make sure you have a problem or not with a spy app, you can try verifying by using Anti Spy or Anti Spy Mobile Free. Both of them are pretty good.
More about Android viruses, how to stay away away from them and remove them,you can read here.
