New Android adware is almost impossible to get rid of
There is a new type of adware for Android devices which is almost impossible to get rid of once installed, Ars Technica reported.
Researchers say they have found more than 20,000 samples of modified versions of apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and two-factor authentication service Okta.
These “trojanised” apps repackage the official versions found on Google Play, and are then made available for download on third-party marketplaces.
To users, the apps look and act legitimate, but they use exploits to gain root access to the device’s operating system.
Security researchers at Lookout said the exploits are found in three application families: Shedun, Shuanet, and ShiftyBug.
Once these apps gain root access, they install themselves as system applications – making them difficult to remove.
Lookout said the apps don’t appear to do anything more malicious than display ads, but given their system-level status they could undermine Android’s security mechanisms if they wanted to.
Android users are advised to be wary of installing apps from untrusted locations.
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