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GOOGLE PLAY BITTEN BY SHARKBOT INFO-STEALER ‘AV SOLUTION’

Author: Elizabeth Montalbano
April 8, 2022 12:06 pm
3:30 minute read
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Google removed six different malicious Android applications targeting mainly
users in the U.K. and Italy that were installed about 15,000 times.

Researchers have found the info-stealing Android malware Sharkbot lurking
unsuspected in the depths of the Google Play store under the cover of anti-virus
(AV) solutions.

While analyzing suspicious applications on the store, the Check Point Research
(CPR) team found what purported to be genuine AV solutions downloading and
installing the malware, which steals credentials and banking info from Android
devices but also has a range of other unique features.

“Sharkbot lures victims to enter their credentials in windows that mimic benign
credential input forms,” CPR researchers Alex Shamsur and Raman Ladutska wrote
in a report published Thursday. “When the user enters credentials in these
windows, the compromised data is sent to a malicious server.”

Researchers discovered six different applications—including ones named Atom
Clean-Booster, Antivirus; Antvirus Super Cleaner; and Center
Security-Antivirus—spreading Sharkbot. The apps came from three developer
accounts–Zbynek Adamcik, Adelmio Pagnotto and Bingo Like Inc.—at least two of
which were active in the autumn of last year. The timeline makes sense, as
Sharkbot first came onto researchers’ radar screens in November.

“Some of the applications linked to these accounts were removed from Google
Play, but still exist in unofficial markets,” researchers wrote. “This could
mean that the actor behind the applications is trying to stay under the radar
while still involved in malicious activity.”

Google removed the offending applications, but not before they were downloaded
and installed about 15,000 times, researchers said. Primary targets of Sharkbot
are users in the United Kingdom and Italy, as was previously the case, they
said.


UNIQUE ASPECTS

CPR researchers peered under the hood of Sharkbot and uncovered not only typical
info-stealing tactics, but also some characteristics that set it apart from
typical Android malware, researchers said. It includes a geofencing feature that
selects users based on geographic areas, ignoring users from China, India,
Romania, Russia, Ukraine or Belarus, they said.

Sharkbot also boasts some clever techniques, researchers noted. “If the malware
detects it is running in a sandbox, it stops the execution and quits,” they
wrote.

Another unique hallmark of the malware is that it makes use of Domain Generation
Algorithm (DGA), an aspect rarely used in malware for the Android platform,
researchers said.

“With DGA, one sample with a hardcoded seed generates seven domains per week,”
they wrote. “Including all the seeds and algorithms we have observed, there is a
total of 56 domains per week, i.e., 8 different combinations of seed/algorithm.”

Researchers observed 27 versions of Sharkbot in their research; the main
difference between versions was different DGA seeds as well as different
botnetID and ownerID fields, they said.

All in all, Sharkbot implements 22 commands that allow various malicious actions
to be executed on a user’s Android device, including: requesting permission for
sending SMS messages; uninstalling a given applications; sending the device’s
contact list to a server; disabling battery optimization so Sharkbot can run in
the background; and imitating the user’s swipe over the screen.


TIMELINE OF ACTIVITY

Researchers first discovered four applications of the Sharkbot Dropper on Google
Play on Feb. 25 and shortly thereafter reported their findings to Google on
March 3. Google removed the applications on March 9 but then another Sharkbot
dropper was discovered six days later, on March 15.

CPR reported the third dropper discovered immediately and then found two more
Sharkbot droppers on March 22 and March 27 that they also reported quickly to
Google for removal.

The droppers by which Sharkbot spreads in and of themselves should raise
concern, researchers said. “As we can judge by the functionality of the
droppers, their possibilities clearly pose a threat by themselves, beyond just
dropping the malware,” they wrote in the report.

Specifically, researchers found the Sharkbot dropper masquerading as the
following applications on Google Play;

 * com.abbondioendrizzi.tools[.]supercleaner
 * com.abbondioendrizzi.antivirus.supercleaner
 * com.pagnotto28.sellsourcecode.alpha
 * com.pagnotto28.sellsourcecode.supercleaner
 * com.antivirus.centersecurity.freeforall
 * com.centersecurity.android.cleaner

The droppers also have a few of their own evasion tactics, such as detecting
emulators and quitting if one is found, researchers noted. They also are able to
inspect and act on all the UI events of the device as well as replace
notifications sent by other applications.

“In addition, they can install an APK downloaded from the CnC, which provides a
convenient starting point to spread the malware as soon as the user installs
such an application on the device,” researchers added.


GOOGLE PLAY UNDER FIRE

Google has long struggled with the persistence of malicious applications and
malware on its Android app store and has made significant efforts to clean up
its act.

However, the emergence of Sharkbot disguised as AV solutions shows that
attackers are getting sneakier in how they hide their malicious activity on the
platform, and could serve to damage users’ confidence in Google Play, noted a
security professional.

“Malware apps that conceal their malicious functionality with time delays, code
obfuscation and geofencing can be challenging to detect during the app review
process, but the regularity that they are discovered lurking in official app
stores really damages user trust in the safety of all apps on the platform,”
observed Chris Clements, vice president of solutions architecture at security
firm Cerberus Sentinel, in an email to Threatpost.

With the smartphone at the center of people’s digital lives and actins as a hub
of financial, personal and work activity, “any malware that compromises the
security of such a central device can do significant financial or reputational
damage,” he added.

Another security professional urged caution to Android users when deciding
whether or not to download a mobile app from a reputable vendor’s store, even if
it’s a trusted brand.

“When installing apps from various technology stores, it is best to research the
app before downloading it,” observed James McQuiggan, security awareness
advocate at KnowBe4. “Cybercriminals love to trick users into installing
malicious apps with hidden functionalities in an attempt to steal data or take
over accounts.”

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