TECH

Destructive virus infects app store Huawei App Gallery

While it also happens that infected Android apps go through automatic filters used by official app stores such as Huawei App Gallery, they are often discovered and removed before infecting a large number of devices. Masking clandestine activities to evade long-term detection is difficult to do, and putting nearly 200 infected apps in the App Gallery is a serious cause for concern and a black ball for Huawei, a company that has long tried to assert itself. your own alternative to the Google Play Store.

Called Android.Cynos.7.origin, the malware derived from the Cynos family is used to collect personal data from victims' phones. Its function is to bypass Android's security mechanisms, sending collected data to servers controlled by intruders.

But it hardly stops here, any of the apps listed here being able to aggressively exploit Huawei phone owners by sending SMS messages to additional phone numbers. At the same time, the apps are able to intercept incoming SMS messages to receive instructions from attackers and then surreptitiously download and install other apps on the phone. As a result, compromised devices can end up displaying many more ads than usual and in places where they shouldn't appear, such as on the lock screen menu and during calls. Intrusively displayed ads negatively affect the Android user experience and consume significant memory and processor resources.

At the same time, if the user even inadvertently grants the requested permissions, the apps thus infiltrated will continue to transmit all the data that can be used, such as device specifications, phone number and the actual location of the owner.

Huawei claims infected apps have already been removed from the App Gallery store

mundophone