Skip to main content

New Android virus secretly records phone calls

android_virus
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A new Android virus records users’ phone calls without their knowledge, reports Network World.

The Trojan malware, which automatically records outgoing phone calls and stores them on the device’s SD card, was first uncovered by CA Technologies security researcher Dinesh Venkatesan, who specializes in a variety of nasty software, including “mobile threats.”

To test the Android malware, Venkatesan ran tests of the malicious software in “a controlled environment with two mobile emulators running along with simulated Internet services,” he writes on his blog. The test shows that, for the Trojan virus to install itself on a device, the user must actually click an “install” button, which appears on a prompt screen that looks much like other (legitimate) software.

Once the virus is installed, any call that’s made from the Android handset “triggers the payload,” writes Venkatesan, which means the call recording functionality is covertly launched on the device, and calls are saved to the SD card.

From what we’ve seen so far, it’s unclear where a user would download this software, or how the saved calls would be accessed by an outside party, though it’s possible that whoever developed the Trojan built this functionality into the software.

More disturbingly, Venkatesan says he and his colleagues in the security industry have noticed an “increasing trend in targeting mobile platforms.”

“As it is already widely acknowledged that this year is the year of mobile malware,” writes Venkatesan, “we advice the smartphone users to be more logical and exercise the basic security principles while surfing and installing any applications.”

According to a Juniper Networks report from May, Symbian and Microsoft Windows Mobile platforms have been the primary targets of hackers looking to tap into the hoards of unsuspecting smartphone users. This year, however, malware developers have begun working on worms for both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating system. While iOS remains mostly secure, it is Android that has taken the biggest hit.

“Consumers can expect to see more advanced malware attacks against the Android platform,” the Juniper report says. Attacks could include, “command and control zombies and botnet participators, devices that are remotely controlled to execute malicious attacks.”

So be careful out there, Android users. The mobile world is becoming an increasingly dangerous place to live.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Couts
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
How to stop spam texts on iPhone and Android phones
iPhone showing a spam text with the Report Junk option.

Everyone from legitimate marketers to outright scammers wants to get your attention these days. With a mobile phone in nearly every pocket, many of these have turned to SMS text messages as a way to extend their reach. After all, it's a fast means of communication that's much more likely to be noticed than traditional email messages. Plus, there aren't nearly as many spam filtering solutions available for dealing with text messages, making them ripe for abuse. Here, we explore your options for reducing spam, depending on your phone type.

Read more
What is Wi-Fi calling, and how does it work?
Wi-Fi Calling

Network coverage has been steadily improving, but there are still many people around the world who can’t get a decent phone signal in their homes. There are gaps in many networks, particularly in rural areas, as a quick glance at Open Signal’s coverage maps reveals. Wi-Fi calling could be the answer.
What is Wi-Fi calling?
Wi-Fi calling allows you to seamlessly use any Wi-Fi connection to make or receive calls when your network signal is weak. If you’re at home and there’s a dead spot in the back bedroom, or the bars on your smartphone drop down to one when you go into the bathroom, then your phone can automatically switch to your home Wi-Fi network and use that to make and receive calls.

The beauty of Wi-Fi calling is that it should work seamlessly. Assuming your carrier supports it, you’ve activated the appropriate setting on your phone, and you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, then it should kick in automatically whenever you need it. All the calls you make and messages you send through Wi-Fi calling appear as normal in your usual messages app and call logs.

Read more
The top 7 bestselling phones of 2023 were all … you guessed it
Close-up view of titanium frame on iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Seven of the top 10 bestselling handsets in 2023 were iPhones, according to data from research firm Counterpoint.

This marks the first time in Counterpoint’s tracking of such data that Apple’s handset has dominated the chart to this extent.

Read more