A new malware warning has been issued by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) .
The group reports deficiencies in the company’s services and software, and has detected ‘Predator’ spyware.
This spyware was using a zero-day vulnerability to harm Android and Chrome users.
Let us know what is the danger associated with this spyware and how to avoid it.
Google gave information in a blog post
In a new blog post, TAG has described a total of five flaws, four of which are related to the Chrome web browser and one to the Android operating system.
With their help, Predator spyware was making users a victim.
Not only can this spyware hide apps, but it can also record audio using the device’s microphone.
In this way, the user is spied without knowing it.
What is zero-day flaw or bug?
Zero-Day Vulnerability or Bugs are the vulnerabilities in existing software and devices that can be exploited by malicious attackers.
Unless these flaws are fixed through rollout, the victim can be harmed with them.
Zero-day vulnerability is fixed once a software update is received and the fix is released, but there is nothing users can do on their own to fix it.
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After all, what is Predator spyware?
The Predator spyware is developed by North Minnesota-based company Cytrox.
This malware can do things like record audio, add CA certificates and hide apps for spying.
An analysis by TAG and Citizen Labs revealed that the spyware was sold by Citrox to government-sponsored groups in several countries.
These groups include Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Madagascar, Cte de Lavoire, Serbia, Spain and Indonesia.
Works with the help of one-time links
Predator spyware sends one-time links and mimics URL shortener services.
Apart from this, Android users are also being targeted through email.
Once the link is clicked, the victim is redirected to the domain owned by the attacker and the victim becomes a victim of spyware before the original website can be opened.
At the same time, in case the link is not active, the website directly gets opened.
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Which users is the malware targeting?
According to the Threat Analysis Group, the Predator spyware was specifically targeting journalists and other influential users.
The group tracked more than 30 vendors to find that the campaign was using ALIEN malware to spread the predator.
Google has warned Android and Google Chrome users related to this.
The patch related to spyware has been released and users have been advised to update the device.
