An Android app that had been working normally for a year suddenly became a virus

a android It has been discovered that the app called iRecorder Screen Recorder has started secretly recording its users, almost a year after it first appeared on Facebook. google apps.

Looking at the details, the app in question performed normal screen recording when it was first released in September 2021. However, after the update in 2022, it started recording a minute of audio every 15 minutes without the user’s knowledge. It then sends these hidden recordings to a remote server. All these technical details are described in detail in a comment On the blog “Essential Security Against Evolving Threats” (ESET) researcher Lucas Stefanko.

Stefanko reported that the app was updated with malicious code, based on the open source AhMyth Android RAT (Remote Access Trojan) in August 2022. By the time it was reported and removed from Google Play, the app had already been downloaded at least 50,000 times. In fact, Stefanko noted that apps with AhMyth built in have escaped Google’s filters in the past.

App fraud is not a new phenomenon for smartphone stores from Apple or Google. Many times they have fake reviews to gain people’s trust. However, the case for this particular case, Stefanko stresses, is complex. As it turns out, apps can become malicious after users install them, and use them normally for a while. Then, taking advantage of the permissions granted during the initial installation, they start collecting sensitive data from the user’s device for malicious purposes.

Although iRecorder Screen Recorder has been removed, the incident raises concerns about the possibility that other applications may also unexpectedly become “harmful agents” on users’ smartphones.

Google appears to be making changes to the operating system to notify users through notifications if their apps change their data sharing practices. However, this will only be true if Google informs itself of the changes beforehand.

The bottom line is that no matter how formal the process of installing an app on your mobile phone is, it always needs due diligence, especially if you are not sure of its source and creator.

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