A security researcher from ESET announced that he has discovered a new Android spyware that is capable of accessing the WhatsApp database and has a host of spying features.
As reported by ZDNet, the spyware has been discovered on Github in a repository called “OwnMe.” It features a MainActivity.class that starts a new service OwnMe.class, which when activated, displays a “Service Started” popup on the target device.
Normally, malware does not display any pop-up windows when it starts working, as this is not very noticeable. This fact indicates that the spyware is still in the development stage.
After activating the service, a startExploit() function is launched and the spyware establishes a connection to the server, if Internet access is available.
The spyware code revealed that it has many monitoring functions, but most of them, including the monitor function, are incomplete so far.
Another interesting feature that came to the attention of researchers is the Whatsapp data feature that compromises WhatsApp conversations.
This malware also has a function called getHistory(), which collects titles, times, visits, and URLs from targeted users' bookmarks. The function is limited to accessing bookmarks and cannot record browsing history.
If the application to which the spyware has been secretly sent grants access permissions for contacts, it can also intercept names, numbers, and the entire call history as well.
Another unexpected discovery is that the spyware also has a function to access the camera and images.
Every time the infected device is restarted, the malicious application containing the spyware starts running.
Fortunately, the spyware is in development and researchers have the ability to prevent it from spreading to Android devices.
