Category Archives: McAfee Labs

Android Malware Set for July 4 Carries Political Message

McAfee Mobile Security has identified a new Android Trojan embedded in a pirated copy of an exclusive app from rapper Jay Z. We suspect the malware author is attempting to go after the demand for the app Magna Carta Holy Grail on pirated sites. The legitimate app has been released exclusively for Samsung devices on Read more…

Targeted Campaign Steals Credentials in Gulf States and Caribbean

Last week, McAfee’s Foundstone Incident Response team got hold of a piece of malware that was sent out during a phishing campaign. The campaign targeted several companies and institutes in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and a couple of Caribbean islands. The executable that was sent with the email was called emiratesstatement.exe and the Read more…

Security Apps, Malware Race to Be First On Your Mobile

In China, there is a saying: “道高一尺,魔高一丈,” meaning “The law is strong, but the outlaws are sometimes stronger.” In the last few weeks, a new Android malware we’re calling Android/Obad.A has appeared. It uses a number of techniques that have rarely been seen before in mobile malware. Android/Obad.A requests the victim to authorize its Device Read more…

Styx Exploit Kit Takes Advantage of Vulnerabilities

Web-based malware has increased over the last few years due to an abrupt spike in new exploit kits. These kits target vulnerabilities in popular applications and provide an effective way for cybercriminals to distribute malware. We have already discussed Red Kit, a common exploit kit. Recently McAfee Labs has observed an increase in the prevalence Read more…

Mobile Malware Plays Hide and Seek

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Android/Obad.A is mobile malware that has been described as very complex. Truly it is one of the most complex we’ve seen because it: Uses Bluetooth to infect other Android devices Accepts commands from the attacker Hides from the Device Administration list This is a good collection of malicious activities for a modern piece of malware. Read more…

Mobile Malware Plays Hide and Seek

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Android/Obad.A is mobile malware that has been described as very complex. Truly it is one of the most complex we’ve seen because it: Uses Bluetooth to infect other Android devices Accepts commands from the attacker Hides from the Device Administration list This is a good collection of malicious activities for a modern piece of malware. Read more…

Syrian Crisis Reminds Us to Beware of ‘Charity’ Scams

The dismal situation in Syria has gained considerable sympathy in the rest of the world. Unfortunately, playing on our emotions is a typical strategy of cybercriminals. Today I received an email calling for donations to be made to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help Syrian refugees. This mail appeared very professional Read more…

Koobface Count Correction

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The McAfee Threats Report for the first quarter of 2013 highlighted a noteworthy increase in the number of Koobface malware samples on record. This data point is based on the number of unique malicious files associated with the Koobface family, and is generally one indicator of active malware development. Besides the number of changes made Read more…

Malicious Dating, Ad Services Plague Japanese Users

In a previous blog McAfee Mobile Research reported on fraudulent adult dating-service applications on Google Play that target Japanese users. Many other suspicious applications are spreading on Google Play in Japan, and try to lure users to similar fraudulent sites. These suspicious applications have appeared on Google Play since May. They offer adult or nonadult Read more…

Fraudulent Adult Dating Services Turn 10 Years Old, Still Evolving

McAfee Mobile Research monitors adult one-click-fraud applications on Google Play that are targeted at Japanese users. Although the attackers appeared to have stopped uploading these apps in May, they have now resumed the attacks. We have confirmed about 600 malicious applications have been published since the beginning of April. We have also confirmed that another Read more…