It has been reported that a new form of malware is now wreaking havoc among users of android devices, having escaped detection for two months.
Researchers at Check Point, a cyber security research firm, have said that the new form of malware, now dubbed Skinner, is spreading among users of android devices at a very fast rate, thanks to its mode of operation and the intention of the persons controlling it.
The new form of adware works by surreptitiously displaying to people unwanted ads, it has been reported.
It has been further reported that the new malware spreads by tricking users of android into downloading apps that look useful to them.
Currently, the adware exists in the form of an app that has been described as having various gaming features.
However, once people download the fake app to their devices, they end up losing their privacy. The app secretly identifies the location of the individuals and collects information about the online activities of the individuals, it has been reported.
It has been further reported that once the malware collects the information, it sends it to a secret server controlled by its developers.
The developers are then able to sneak into the device of their targeted individuals particular adverts that the individual would not be willing to watch under normal circumstances.
‘The most important thing about this new adware is the manner in which it manages to evade detection by staying underwater,’ the Check Point researchers have noted.
It has been further observed that the success of the adware is based on the manner in which it manages to escape detection when it is operating on devices. The adware first remains silent after it has been successfully installed in a device, it has been reported.
It has further been reported that once a person opens any device, the malware silently starts to display particular adverts targeted at the individual.
‘The manner in which the malware operates represents the highest level of stealth marketing,’ the Check Point researchers have pointed out.
By secretly showing adverts that go along with what a user is doing, the malware manages to achieve its primary objective, which is to generate revenue to the developers through click-through activities of individuals.
Google has so far removed Skinner from Google Play. However, it is not known the extent of damage that the app will cause to the thousands of individuals whose devices have already been infected by it.
