A New malware called Mazar Bot that is attacking smartphones has sufarced, giving attackers full administrative rights to monitor and control nearly every aspect of the phone.

The malware was found to be in active use by researchers at Heimdal Security, takes hold via a malware-ridden SMS/MMS message that, once clicked, spreads a torrent of alarming exploits such as sending malicious text messages, anonymously accessing the web, putting the phone into sleep mode and even fully erasing all content from the device.

Unlike the typical Android exploit, Mazar Bot targets users with a direct message and is not downloaded through a third-party application store. Until now, the malware was advertised as being for sale on the dark web however this is the first known case of it being exploited in active attacks.

Once on a device, the malware covertly downloads Tor that allows it to connect anonymously to the internet to ping a server that effectively acts like a beacon to alert the attacker that a fresh device has been compromised. What's worse, it can install the Android-based Polipo Proxy application which lets the owner of the malware intercept and spy on all internet traffic passing through the smartphone.

According to Andra Zaharia, security specialist at Heimdal Security, this could lead to Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks which are often used to steal sensitive details such as email account logins, social media credentials and banking information.

Security experts allegedly claim that evidence suggests the attackers operating the malware are Russian. When Mazar Bot was first discovered last year by researchers from Recorded Security, it was revealed the malware was being advertised on a Russian-language dark web-hosted website.

According to Heimdal Security, the malware is only likely to evolve in the coming months. "Attackers may be testing this new type of Android malware to see how they can improve their tactics and reach their final goals, which probably is making more money," added Zaharia. "We can expect this malware to expand its reach."

source: http://www..com/2016/02/mazar-bot-malware-new-andriod-virus.html

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