FakeSpy, which is a piece of Android malware that initially came out in 2017, has now resurfaced to target vulnerable mobile phones users. It is allegedly even more powerful than the original version, with the group known as the “Roaming Mantis” attributed to its creation. In 2018, they also created a banking Trojan that resembled the Google Chrome app to target Android users. While the first version of FakeSpy originally targeted users in South Korea and Japan, it has now expanded to individuals around the world, including countries like China, France, Germany, and the United States. It disguises itself as a country-specific postal app, impersonating major legitimate services such as USPS, Chungwha Post, the British Royal Mail, La Poste, Japan Post, and the Swiss Post. If you’re wondering how it targets users, it does so quite cleverly with a fake SMS message from your local post office. The message describes how the post office failed to deliver a package but failed due to the recipient not being home, and providing a malicious link that encourages users to download their fake version of a postal service app. It’s not just the user who’s targeted by the message, but after installing the app it sends a fake text to all their whole contact list as well. In addition, it also steals access to highly sensitive data including banking and cryptocurrency app information that can be used to hack into your accounts. Depending on the permissions granted by the user, it could also track SMS messages, access the internet, and write to external storage. To help ensure that you’re protected from the harmful effects of malware, keep yourself updated on the latest malicious apps and uninstall any apps that appear suspicious. Even though they may appear to be legitimate, doing your research and being extra cautious will help increase your safety. In addition, you should ignore any text messages from unknown users and verify any links before clicking on them. For Android users, remaining vigilant is especially vital due to the open nature of the operating system. While there isn’t a version that’s specifically geared towards iOS users, there may be a chance that it might be created in the future. According to researchers, there is reason to believe that there may be a new variety of threats coming from the Roaming Mantis group, including upgrades that leave mobile users even more vulnerable to these attacks.
