Complex Trojan Takes Advantage Of Previously Unknown Android Exploit
Security researchers have discovered a new Trojan program that exploits previously undetected flaws in the Android operating system and utilizes techniques more commonly found in Windows malware to remain undetected as it executes rogue commands on infected mobile devices.
The Trojan has been named Backdoor.AndroidOS.Obad.a (Obad.a) by representatives of computer security firm Kaspersky Lab, who has dubbed it the most sophisticated piece of Android malware to date, according to Lucian Constantin of IDG News Service. The program makes heavy use of encryption and code obfuscation in an attempt to prevent security software from discovering what it is doing, the antivirus company said.
The program “is designed to send SMS messages to premium-rate numbers and allows attackers to execute rogue commands on infected devices by opening a remote shell,” Constantin explained. “Attackers can use the malware to steal any kind of data stored on compromised devices or to download additional malicious applications that can be installed locally or distributed to other devices over Bluetooth.”
