Google has been dealing with the scourge of malware infecting Android apps for some time now. And while it has taken necessary action against such apps, other issues keep cropping up. The latest to hit Android apps is an adware called SimBad. As discovered by Check Point, the SimBad adware affected 206 apps listed on Google Play, which have reportedly been removed after Google was notified. The affected apps collectively have over 150 million downloads and could be exploited by malicious hackers to serve ads, create phishing pages, and open a specific URL in the web browser.
The SimBad adware was discovered by Check Point’s Mobile Threat Team and takes its name from the fact that the majority of infected apps were simulation games. Check Point’s findings state that SimBad’s capabilities range from displaying ads to opening a specific URL in the web browser and exposing users to more malicious apps. Additionally, it could allow third parties to install an app from a designated server and install more malware on a device, if deemed necessary.
The SimBad malware is part of the “RXDrioder” SDK, which is provided to developers as an additional SDK for ad-related services, Check Point's report states.
Once an infected Android app is installed and actively used, the SimBad adware can be instructed to display ads in the background and open a specific URL in the web browser. And since the adware can redirect users to the desired website in a browser, malicious hackers can create phishing pages. The adware also has the ability to hide the infected app icon, making it difficult to uninstall the app.
Additionally, the adware could also redirect users to app repositories such as Google Play and 9Apps, where users may be encouraged to download more malware-infected apps at the behest of other hackers. Check Point notes that the SimBad malware “already has the infrastructure to evolve into a much larger threat.” As for the infected apps that have been removed from the Play Store, one of them had nearly 10 million downloads, while 13 of them have reached 5 million.
