New Android malware uses your phone to attack your wireless router

By Christian de Looper January 4, 2017

pornhub app malware android

A new Android trojan has been discovered that can work through your wireless router and control the Wi-Fi network of its victims. Security researchers are calling it the Switcher Trojan, and it’s capable of redirecting all traffic from Wi-Fi-connected devices straight into the hands of those who built it. The result? Well, cybercriminals could get their hands on your data, leading to data theft and even identity theft.

The researchers come from Kaspersky Labs, and they say that this is the first time they’ve seen an Android trojan being used to attack wireless routers like this. The way it works is that the software uses a long, predefined list of login combinations, and if it’s able to gain access, it changes the DNS settings of the router, effectively rerouting traffic onto a network controlled by hackers.

Related Videos

The news certainly is troubling, as it means that it’s not only the Android device that’s affected — it’s all traffic on a network. So, if your Android phone is used, your computer and all other devices on the network could be monitored, too. Hackers could also use the method to load web pages that look the same as the original, but contain some extra content, like extra ads. And, of course, hackers could also use it to redirect users to pages that contain malware.

“The Trojan.AndroidOS.Switcher does not attack users directly. Instead, it targets the entire network, exposing all its users to a wide range of attacks – from phishing to secondary infection. The main danger of such tampering with routers’ settings is that the new settings will survive even a reboot of the router, and it is very difficult to find out that the DNS has been hijacked,” said Kaspersky Labs in its blog post.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Mobile

These Android apps are spying on you — and there’s no easy way to stop them

Illustration of a giant eye stalking through a phone

Android’s security woes need no introduction, but another threat that hasn’t received its fair share of awareness relates to spyware and stalkerware apps. These apps can secretly be installed on a victim’s phone to monitor their activity and can be exploited to harass victims of domestic abuse and engage in online stalking. All someone needs is physical access to the victim's phone to install these apps, which is not too difficult in cases of domestic abuse.

Call it an app-fueled version of AirTag stalking, but on steroids, because these spyware apps can steal everything including messages, call logs, emails, photos, and videos. Some can even activate the microphone and the camera, and secretly transfer these recordings to a remote server where the abuser can access it. Since Google Play's policies don't allow stalking apps, these apps are sold via third-party websites and need to be sideloaded.

Mobile

Nothing Phone 2: news, release date and price rumors, and more

Nothing Phone 1 with Glyph lights active.

The Nothing Phone 1 made its debut in July 2022, and it had a reasonable amount of hype behind it due to the involvement of Carl Pei, a co-founder of OnePlus. It was a quirky phone due to the unique light show on the back that makes it stand out from the competition, but on the software front, it’s very similar to other Android phones out there. It received mixed reviews, though the consensus leaned more on the positive side.

This year, we’re expecting the Nothing Phone 2, as confirmed by Pei in January during MWC 2023. Here’s everything we know so far about the Nothing Phone 2!
Nothing Phone 2: design

Audio / Video

What is Amazon Music: everything you need to know

Amazon Music

It's a jungle of music streaming platforms out there, so it stands to reason that Amazon would have one among its massive kingdom of services. And while Amazon Music might not be top of mind among the Spotifys and Apple Musics of the world, you might be surprised by its 100-million-song library, high-resolution and spatial audio offerings, podcast library, Alexa voice control, and a pretty amiable user interface that makes finding music pretty easy.

Amazon Music's subscriptions range from free to its premium Music Unlimited tier, which can be added for $9 per month on top of a subscription to Amazon Prime. But they all come with some quirks and features. We're going to break them all down for you to help you choose which, if any, Amazon Music plan is right for you.