App Discovered on Google Play Found to be Data-Stealing Malware, Downloaded Over 10K Times

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TeaBot Banking Trojan Google Play App Overview:

• Who: Online fraud prevention company Cleafy has released a report revealing that a notorious piece of malware has been found posing as an app on Google Play.
• Why: The malware steals user data like passwords and text messages, and was previously distributed through text message phishing campaigns.
• Where: The malware targeted users in Russia, Hong Kong and the United States.

A well-known piece of malware that steals passwords and text messages has been discovered to be posing as an app on the Google Play store, and has been downloaded thousands of times, a new report reveals.

According to the March 1 report from Cleafy, an online fraud management and prevention solution, the notorious Android banking trojan known as TeaBot has been discovered to be posing as a QR code scanner app in the Google Play store.

When users downloaded the “QR Code & Barcode – Scanner” app, they would immediately get prompted to download a second “add on” app. That app held the TeaBot malware designed to steal user data from phones.

According to the report, the fake app managed to pull in more than 10,000 downloads by the time it was discovered. It targeted users in Russia, Hong Kong and the United States.

But because the app offered the promised “QR code scanning” functionality, nearly all of the app’s reviews are positive, TechCrunch reports.

Google Removes App From Google Play

The TeaBot banking trojan, also known as Anatsa and Toddler, was first observed in May 2021 targeting European banks by stealing two-factor authentication codes sent by text message. 

The malware was previously distributed through SMS-based phishing campaigns. Cleafy says TeaBot is now targeting over 400 applications, including home banking apps, insurance apps, crypto wallets and crypto exchanges, an increase of more than 500% in less than a year.

The app, “QR Code & Barcode – Scanner” has since been removed from the Google Play store. 

It was not immediately revealed whether Google customers had been harmed by the incident.

The company is not currently facing legal action over the privacy breach, but Top Class Actions follows data breaches closely as they sometimes end in class action lawsuits.

Meanwhile, Google is facing multiple class actions lawsuits over breaches of user privacy and data.

Last month, attorneys general from Texas, Indiana, Washington and the District of Columbia filed parallel bipartisan lawsuits alleging Google continued to track its users’ locations even after they believed they’d disabled the feature. 

Another group of attorneys general are suing the company alleging the company monopolized the online display advertising market.

Recently the public also saw redacted portions of an antitrust lawsuit filed against Google unsealed, revealing claims that Google cut a secret deal codenamed “Jedi-Blue” with Facebook to manipulate online advertising markets. 

In 2020, Google agreed to pay $7.5 million in a settlement to end Google data breach claims.

Do you feel safe downloading apps onto your mobile? Let us know in the comments. 

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