Lookout mobile security experts have discovered a new type of spyware that targets iOS and Android users exclusively in several Asian countries.
Spyware Goontact lures users to adult sites, from where it steals their personal information stored on their mobile device. Why? So he can start with blackmail and extortion.
Namely, fraudsters lure victims to pages with offers of escort services, where operators then convince them to install mobile applications to increase the user experience. However, these applications do not have any real functionality, except to grab all personal data and contact data from the infected device from the moment of installation.
Information that Goontact can retrieve from a mobile device includes device IDs, phone numbers, contact information, text messages, photos stored on cards, and even location information.
The people responsible for the spread of Goontact have not been identified so far, but Lookout believes that it is probably a new weapon of cybercriminals, and not a perpetrator who may be sponsored by a foreign government.
It's no secret that mobile phones are a real source of data for cybercriminals. As the use of mobile devices continues to increase, so does cybercrime develop on the mobile platforms iOS and Android. That’s why users should, more than ever, be vigilant, says Phil Hochmuth, program vice president of business mobility at IDC (International Data Coorperation). new spywar is spreading on Android and iOS devices
Lookout mobile security experts have discovered a new type of spyware that targets iOS and Android users exclusively in several Asian countries.
Spyware Goontact lures users to adult sites, from where it steals their personal information stored on their mobile device. Why? So he can start with blackmail and extortion.
Namely, fraudsters lure victims to pages with offers of escort services, where operators then convince them to install mobile applications to increase the user experience. However, these applications do not have any real functionality, except to grab all personal data and contact data from the infected device from the moment of installation.
Information that Goontact can retrieve from a mobile device includes device IDs, phone numbers, contact information, text messages, photos stored on cards, and even location information.
The people responsible for the spread of Goontact have not been identified so far, but Lookout believes that it is probably a new weapon of cybercriminals, and not a perpetrator who may be sponsored by a foreign government.
It's no secret that mobile phones are a real source of data for cybercriminals. As the use of mobile devices continues to increase, so does cybercrime develop on the mobile platforms iOS and Android. That’s why users should, more than ever, be vigilant, says Phil Hochmuth, program vice president of business mobility at IDC (International Data Coorperation).