Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has issued a new warning for smartphone users about malware that targets the Android platform. Specifically, the agency warned about two threats—Loozfon and FinFisher.
The IC3 warning reads, “The IC3 has been made aware of various malware attacking Android operating systems for mobile devices. Some of the latest known versions of this type of malware are Loozfon and FinFisher. Loozfon is an information-stealing piece of malware. Criminals use different variants to lure the victims. One version is a work-at-home opportunity that promises a profitable payday just for sending out email. A link within these advertisements leads to a website that is designed to push Loozfon on the user’s device. The malicious application steals contact details from the user’s address book and the infected device’s phone number.”
Kevin Parrish from Tom’s Hardware recalled,” During the summer, Symantec said [Loozfon] targets female Android users in Japan. ‘If this trick does not work, the criminal group has another trick up its sleeve. It also sends spam that states that the sender of the email can introduce the recipient to wealthy men. When the link included in the body of the email is clicked, the malware is automatically downloaded onto the device,’ the firm said.”
Writing for InsideMobileApps, Emanuel Maiberg said that the FBI warning is a little confusing because it specifically mentions Android, but FinFisher can also exploit iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone. He added, “Most confusing is the timing of the IC3 issued warning, as it doesn’t follow any spike in malware activity that we’re aware of at this time.”
In a separate but related story, TGDaily’s Emma Woollacott reported that Google is said to be working on a new malware scanner for Google Play. She quoted security expert Graham Cluley, who said, “Our examination of the new code in Google Play suggests that the company is building an API framework for virus-scanning in the future, and that the functionality will not be available until at least API level 17 (which will be supported in the version of the Android operating system after Android 4.1 (Jelly bean).” He continued, “This functionality would also make use it seems of the Google Safe Browsing API.”
RELATED NEWS AND ANALYSIS
-
Huawei’s AI Update: Things Are Moving Faster Than We Think
FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
December 04, 2020
-
Keeping Machine Learning Algorithms Honest in the ‘Ethics-First’ Era
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Guest Author,
November 18, 2020
-
Key Trends in Chatbots and RPA
FEATURE |  By Guest Author,
November 10, 2020
-
Top 10 AIOps Companies
FEATURE |  By Samuel Greengard,
November 05, 2020
-
What is Text Analysis?
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Guest Author,
November 02, 2020
-
How Intel’s Work With Autonomous Cars Could Redefine General Purpose AI
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Rob Enderle,
October 29, 2020
-
Dell Technologies World: Weaving Together Human And Machine Interaction For AI And Robotics
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Rob Enderle,
October 23, 2020
-
The Super Moderator, or How IBM Project Debater Could Save Social Media
FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
October 16, 2020
-
Top 10 Chatbot Platforms
FEATURE |  By Cynthia Harvey,
October 07, 2020
-
Finding a Career Path in AI
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Guest Author,
October 05, 2020
-
CIOs Discuss the Promise of AI and Data Science
FEATURE |  By Guest Author,
September 25, 2020
-
Microsoft Is Building An AI Product That Could Predict The Future
FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
September 25, 2020
-
Top 10 Machine Learning Companies 2020
FEATURE |  By Cynthia Harvey,
September 22, 2020
-
NVIDIA and ARM: Massively Changing The AI Landscape
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Rob Enderle,
September 18, 2020
-
Continuous Intelligence: Expert Discussion [Video and Podcast]
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By James Maguire,
September 14, 2020
-
Artificial Intelligence: Governance and Ethics [Video]
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By James Maguire,
September 13, 2020
-
IBM Watson At The US Open: Showcasing The Power Of A Mature Enterprise-Class AI
FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
September 11, 2020
-
Artificial Intelligence: Perception vs. Reality
FEATURE |  By James Maguire,
September 09, 2020
-
Anticipating The Coming Wave Of AI Enhanced PCs
FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
September 05, 2020
-
The Critical Nature Of IBM’s NLP (Natural Language Processing) Effort
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Rob Enderle,
August 14, 2020