This Android malware could leave your wallet pretty empty TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. This Android malware could leave your wallet pretty empty By Sead Fadilpašić published 6 June 2022 Android app runs up huge bills by dialing premium numbers in the background (Image credit: Jonas Leupe / Unsplash) Audio player loading… A newly discovered mobile malware can rake up quite the phone bill for its victims, cybersecurity pros from Avast have revealed. The antivirus company recently spotted SMSFactory, a unique malware being distributed among its Brazilian customers, with mobile users in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and Argentina also seem to be targeted. SMSFactory deals damage by having the Android smartphone send phone calls and SMS messages to premium numbers. It's being distributed by unofficial channels, meaning you won't find SMSFactory on the Play Store, but you will find it on APKMods, and PaidAPKFree, two mobile app repositories with dubious policies. Avast also says the attackers promote the app with malvertising, push notifications, various promotional pop-ups and websites, videos, and such. (opens in new tab) Share your thoughts on Cybersecurity and get a free copy of the Hacker's Manual 2022 (opens in new tab). Help us find how businesses are preparing for the post-Covid world and the implications of these activities on their cybersecurity plans. Enter your email at the end of this survey (opens in new tab) to get the bookazine, worth $10.99/£10.99. Accessing the contacts list Among the various permissions the app asks for, researchers have also found, is the permission to access the contact list (opens in new tab), so it's highly likely it uses the list to further expand its reach. Other requested permissions include location data, the permission to make phone calls, send and read SMS messages, wake lock and vibrate, handle overlay, use the entire screen, track notifications, and start various activities from the background. If these permissions weren't large enough of a red flag, the Android device will also trigger a warning at installation, telling the potential victim that the app is risky. However, many seem to have turned a blind eye to the warnings, as the app has "tens of thousands" of installations, Avast said.Read more> This creepy new Android malware records your audio and tracks your location (opens in new tab) > That Android antivirus could actually be malware (opens in new tab) > This Android malware targets passwords from almost 500 apps (opens in new tab) Once installed, the app will display a message that it doesn't work or that the service is unavailable. Given that it hides its name and icon, many users struggle to delete it, or apparently forget they have anything installed. Still, the app continues working in the background, maintaining its connection to the C2 server and sending an ID profile of the infected endpoint.These are the best firewall offerings around (opens in new tab) Via: BleepingComputer (opens in new tab) Sead Fadilpašić Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he's written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He's also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications. See more Computing news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me2Blizzard made me explain Overwatch 2 smurfing to my mum for nothing3Nvidia RTX 4090 Ti reportedly canned due to sky-high power consumption4Apple October launches: the new devices we might see this month5RTX 4090 too expensive? Nvidia resurrects another old favorite1Best laptops for designers and coders 2The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me3Stop saying Mario doesn't have an accent in The Super Mario Bros. Movie4iPhone 15 tipped to come with an upgraded 5G chip5Google Pixel Tablet is what Apple should've done ages ago Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab)