Facestealer, which was first recorded by Russian anti-virus company Doctor Web in July 2021, is a series of malicious software that hides in fraudulent apps and specifically invades the official Android app market. Its attack goal is to steal things like Facebook login credentials, class of sensitive personal information.
Recently, Trend Micro security analysts discovered that more than 200 Android apps, such as fake slimming, photo editing and crossword puzzles, were secretly sending Facestealer malware to steal user credentials and other useful information.
Among the more than 200 malicious apps, 42 VPN apps accounted for the highest proportion, followed by camera apps (20) and photo editing apps (13). In order to analyze the detailed method of the malware, Trend Micro listed several malicious apps as examples, including Daily Fitness OL, Enjoy Photo Editor, Panorama Camera, Photo Gaming Puzzle, Swarm Photo, Business Meta Manager and Cryptomining Farm Your own Coin .
The attack methods of these apps are similar. They will require users to log in to Facebook to complete the account login. In fact, they will secretly collect cookies and encrypt personally identifiable information and transmit it to a remote server.
Although after the notification, Google immediately deleted these malicious apps from the shelves, but users who have downloaded these malicious apps and are not even aware of them have great security concerns. In any case, users can check whether the malicious apps listed above are installed on their mobile phones, and delete them immediately if found.
For security reasons, it is best for users to change their Facebook passwords and other login credentials for popular apps stored on their phones. For the future, users should establish long-term app safety download guidelines: check for negative reviews on apps, verify the legitimacy of developers, and avoid downloading apps from third-party app stores.
Some Apps to Uninstall as They contains this Virus
- Daily Fitness OL
- Enjoy Photo Editor
- Panorama Camera
- Photo Gaming Puzzle
- Swarm Photo
- Business Meta Manager
- Cryptomining Farm Your own Coin
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
