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On September of 5th, 2019 a new update to the famous document scanner application CamScanner was confirmed. With over a 100 million downloads the CamScanner app is used to convert pictures in .jpg to a .pdf or .ppt format. The app was back on the Play Store with version 5.12.5. Although iOS users were not affected, the update also urged users to download or update the new version.
Also popularly known to convert photos of your physical documents into PDF files, CamScanner was recently found to have an advertising library containing a malicious module. Kaspersky researchers recently found the malware in the app CamScanner. The phone-based PDF creator includes OCR (optical character recognition) and has more than 100 million downloads in Google Play. The app is also called by many different names such as: CamScanner – Phone PDF Creator and CamScanner – Scanner to scan PDFs.
Initially official app stores such as Google Play are usually considered a safe haven for downloading software. Unfortunately, this is not turn out to be 100% safe. Also due to which from time to time malware distributors manage to sneak their apps into Google Play. The problem which arises here is that even a powerful company as Google can’t thoroughly check millions of apps from the Google Playstore. Also, we need to keep in mind that most of the apps are updated regularly, due to which many of the Google Play moderators’ jobs are never done.
Being one of the most downloaded scanning apps on the Play Store, CamScanner is popularly used in that category. Such facts didn’t matter much to Google. Although most the reviews of CamScanner on Google Play page were positive, some of the users had reported suspicious behavior of the app while using the infected version. It happened such that as soon as the researchers at Kaspersky examined one of the versions of the app at that time and found the malicious module there. These findings were further reported to Google, and the app was promptly removed from Google Play. It looks like app developers got rid of the malicious code with the latest update of CamScanner. But still we need to keep in mind, that versions of the app vary for different devices, and chances are that some of them may still contain malicious code.
So far, according to CamScanner there’s no evidence of leaked document data due to the malicious code. With realization of the malicious code, CamScanner temporarily removed all advertising SDKs for security purposes. Despite of all the actions taken, CamScanner had not provided an update on its “legal actions” against AdHub’s advertising SDK, which was the cause of malicious codes.
The malware was initially found by Kaspersky researchers. On further analysis by the researches the following is what they discovered:
After the researchers at Kaspersky got to know about the malicious code in the famous scanner app they came to a conclusion after analyzing the results. According to Kaspersky, the malicious code was spotted in several CamScanner updates that were published between June and July. Some of the Researchers at Kaspersky also identified the code as Trojan Dropper, a software which was discovered in some pre-installed apps on Chinese smartphones. `As the name suggests, the module is a Trojan Dropper, which means that it extracts and runs another malicious module from an encrypted file included in the app’s resources in APK. The “dropped” malware is a Trojan downloader, that downloads more malicious modules depending on what its creators are up to at the moment. These malicious modules show intrusive ads and sign users up for paid subscriptions to fake external services.
In one of the statements released on Twitter, CamScanner placed the blame for the malware on a third-party advertising SDK provided by AdHub. According to reports obtained by CamScanner, the SDK contained the Trojan Dropper module with the help of which it produced ‘unauthorized advertising clicks.’ Team from CamScanner also said that they would take immediate legal actions against AdHub.
Near the end of July CamScanner also released a statement, to spread awareness and urge people to update their antivirus apps and download antivirus apps directly from the Play Store. CamScanner was actually a legitimate app, with no malicious intensions whatsoever, for quite some time. It used ads for monetization and also allowed in-app purchases. But, at some point that changed, and some of the versions of the app shipped with an advertising library containing a malicious module.
What users can learn from this incident is that any app – even one with a good reputation, even one from an official store, and even one with millions of good reviews and a big, loyal user base – can turn into malware overnight. There is no certainty on when anyone can get attacked, every app is just one update away from a major change. To make sure you never find yourself in such trouble, use a reliable antivirus for Android app and scan your smartphone from time to time.
Also, to avoid unnecessary problems, if you have a version that is not updated to its latest version try to uninstall the app. Following this move would prevent and keep your data from getting compromised or misused. If you don’t want to use CamScanner at all then you can also choose from another alternative like an app named ‘CamScanner HD’ from the Play Store, but it is not trust-worthy as the authenticity of the app is doubtfull. For now, some of the best options to scan and convert PDF documents are: Adobe Scan, Microsoft Office Lens or even the in-built scanning functionality of the Google Drive app.
We appreciate the willingness to cooperate that we’ve seen from CamScanner representatives, as well as the responsible attitude to user safety they demonstrated while eliminating the threat. We’ve rephrased the line above about paid subscription services to make it clear that the paid subscriptions initiated by malicious modules are not to be mistaken with a legitimate subscription model that many users adopted by choice. The malicious modules containing the code were removed from the app immediately upon Kaspersky’s warning, and Google Play has restored the app.
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As the name suggests stalkerware is a software that is used for monitoring/stalking activities. Since a stalkerware is also used for spying purposes, it can also be called a spyware. The so called “stalkerware” has also recently been in buzz, especially among the Android Phones.
Well then what is stalkerware ?
Stalkerware is considered as a malware amongst the cyber community. The spyware is used to enter into a device and steal its activity data. Data such as extracting a track of everything the user does like: phone calls, text messages, internet searches to streaming activities. Once installed on the device, stalkerware acts without the victim knowing that all the activities are being tracked and shared to the one who installed it on the victim’s device. It creates a breach in privacy to perform such activities. The design of a stalkerware changes with the purpose for what it was designed for.
Stalkerware can track different kinds of information. For example, one can monitor the victim’s SMS messages, while another beams the target’s location back home. As such, the design of each stalkerware changes depending on what it is designed to track. In reality stalkerware and spyware are different, even if they sound familiar.
Spywares are injected in the disguise of a legitimate program. It further sends the data to an unknown malicious agent. On the other hand, a stalkerware, doesn’t hide under a program, rather it displays its features and functionality to the user who’s willing to use it. In stalkerware the data is sent to the email address the user provides.
Another major difference between stalkerware and spyware is that a stalkerware is not installed on the user’s system rather it is installed on the device which they want to track. A spyware is downloaded by accident, whereas stalkerware is installed on devices the user wants to track.
When you start to think about all the things that could go wrong when browsing the Internet, the web starts to look like a pretty scary place.
Stalkerware on Android:
On google playstore there were a few stalkerware apps that Google took down. A list of some of those apps are given as follows:
Unfortunately, Google Play has proven itself several times in the past to harbor malicious apps. For instance, the Google Play store harbored clipper malware on the Android store at one point.
These stalkerware apps were eventually taken down by Google. Now, let’s take a look at the functionalities of some of these apps. Below are the two examples of these malwares:
Employee Work Spy functioned in a similar way to SMS Tracker. The only difference was that the app took a more business-focused approach with its advertising. It would record all SMS, voice, and location activity of business smartphones so that bosses could keep tabs on their workers.
The app was designed by the developers to prevent employees from slacking off, leaking information, or to monitor the factors that are sensitive to the enterprise. Before installation of the app the workers received a description about the app before it was distributed in the phones.
As the name suggests the app was designed to get the track of the SMS. On further inspection of SMS Tracker’s marketing copy, there were found even more spying tools that were stacked within the stalkerware.
The main focus of the app was to provide a means of parents to keep track of their children. The functionality was achieved by logging and sending concerned parents the details of everything their child did. The logs of data that was shared included SMS messages, phone logs, web browsing history, contact lists and even their location via GPS.
Stalkerware’s Intentions:
Stalkerwares were usually designed with good intentions. They were never designed to harm or steal from people. These apps’ main focus was to provide a solution to a given problem by checking on people and protecting them from harm.
Even if the objective of Stalkerware is at the right place, their methods aren’t ethical to get the solution of the given problem. It is beacuase of these tools that cause a huge breach of privacy and are the main reason why stalkerware has the malware label.
Greater than Android Problem:
Unfortunately, stalkerware is not just an Android issue. Any device that can have custom software run on it can theoretically suffer a stalkerware infected. Employee’s PCs can have it installed to check on how they use their work time, for instance. FlexiSpy is a good example of this. It was sold to jealous lovers who wanted to monitor their partner’s PC or mobile phone, and the developers made an entire business out of digital stalking.
How to Stop Stalkerware:
The problem with stalkerware is that it won’t show up on your app list if you hunt for it. That happens because the person who originally downloaded the malware deleted the main app to cover their tracks. The “remnants” of it are what is silently working in the background, tracking all of your data.
Unfortunately, if you use an antivirus program that can’t identify stalkerware, it will report a clean scan on an infected device. That’s why it’s better to do some research and find an antivirus that can tackle stalkerware. Kaspersky, for example, has updated its antivirus to find and remove this menace.
If you want to ensure your device is clean of stalkerware, a factory reset is the best option. A full reset will clear out the remnants of the original app and allow you to get your privacy back. It’s more of a hassle than running an antivirus, but there’s no chance of any remnants lurking undetected in the background.
Once you’re sure your phone is clean, you should lock down your phone to prevent the culprit from re-installing it. Put a strong password on your phone and keep it on your person at all times so it doesn’t get reinfected.
Protection from Stalkerware:
Stalkerware is a serious problem which can cause a huge privacy breach for its victims. While there is no certain way to tell that it’s installed on your system, it’s easy to remove any traces and prevent reinfection. If you need a decent antivirus, be sure to try out the best antivirus apps for Android.
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