Overview

Impact

Rooting a device is dangerous. Acquiring privileged access to an Android device means the threat actor can sit there in silence and give themselves a range of permissions or install additional malware. Usually, Android malware requires a user to be interacting in some way.

Affected Products

This malware affects Android devices – with a high impact in the U.S in particular.

Lookout Threat Labs found 19 Android applications that presented as utility apps and system tools such as:
– password managers
– money managers
– app launchers
– data saving apps

Seven of these apps comprised of the rooting functionality. One of the apps, called “Lite Launcher”, managed to get onto the Google Play Store, there were 10,000 downloads before it was removed.

According to NIST, the known affected software configurations are Google/Android devices.

Containment, Mitigations & Remediation

Always keep your operating system up-to-date. Whether you are an IT professional or a consumer, mobile devices are an ideal tool for cybercriminals to take advantage of.

This is because there is a huge amount of sensitive data on there. By persistently keeping your operating system up-to-date, your organisation stays protected.

Remember to:
– Download apps from legitimate official stores only
– Keep your system up-to-date
– Be cautious of new/unknown apps