NCC-CSIRT’s advisory on the incident disclosed that “The Nigeria Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) has continued to observe and monitor the constant introduction of malicious mobile applications into Google Play Store.

“Mobile apps Group has a history of distributing malware-infected apps through the Google Play store, and the current batch of apps has already been downloaded over a million times,” it said.

It listed this group’s malicious apps as the Bluetooth Auto Connect; Bluetooth App Sender; Driver: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB; and Mobile transfer: smart switch.

READ ALSO: How Blackbyte disables security products -NCC-CSIRT

According to the advisory, “The apps will delay the display of ads for up to three days after installation to avoid detection. However, once this period has passed, the user is bombarded with advertisements and is directed to malicious phishing websites in the Chrome browser. While the device is idle, the malicious app can open Chrome tabs in the background. Some of the sites it opens may appear to be harmless, but they are pay-per-click pages that generate revenue for the developers when clicked on.”

Consequences of installing the malicious apps include the user being bombarded with advertisements, which will degrade the user experience; theft of sensitive user data; clicking on the ads resulting in the stealth download or installation of additional malware, as well as the user privacy and data being jeopardized.

The unpleasant consequences are avoidable when users refrain from downloading apps developed by Mobile apps Group and ensure to read app reviews before installing any app.

Other proffered solutions are for users that may have installed any of the identified malicious apps to immediately uninstall them and to install up-to-date anti-malware solution to detect and remove malware.

NCC-CSIRT rated the malicious activities of the offending apps as high in probability and potential to do damage.

The CSIRT is the telecom sector’s cyber security incidence centre set up by the NCC to focus on incidents in the telecom sector and as they may affect telecom consumers and citizens at large.

The CSIRT also works collaboratively with ngCERT, established by the federal government to reduce the volume of future computer risk incidents by preparing, protecting, and securing Nigerian cyberspace to forestall attacks, and problems or related events.

The post NCC warns users against ‘Mobile Apps Group’ over trojan, malware appeared first on Frontpageng.

NCC alertedthe public in a statement issued on Sunday by its Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde.

He explained that the fact that car remotes were categorized short range devices that make use of radio frequency (RF) to lock and unlock cars informed the need for the commission to alert the general public on the emergent danger, where hackers could take advantage to unlock and start a compromised car.

He said according to the latest advisory released by the Computer Security Incident Response Team, CSIRT, the Cybersecurity Centre for the telecom sector established by the NCC, the vulnerability is a Man-in-the-Middle, MitM, attack or, more specifically, a replay attack in which an attacker intercepts the RF signals normally sent from a remote key fob to the car, manipulates the signals, and re-sends them later to unlock the car at will.

He said with the latest type of cyber-attack, it was also possible to manipulate the captured commands and re-transmit them to achieve a different outcome altogether.

“Multiple researchers disclosed a vulnerability, which is said to be used by a nearby attacker to unlock some Honda and Acura car models and start their engines wirelessly.

The attack consists of a threat actor capturing the radio frequency (RF) signals sent from your key fob to the car and resending these signals to take control of your car’s remote keyless entry system,” the advisory stated emphatically.

However, the NCC-CSIRT, in the advisory, Adinde said, had offerred some precautionary measures or solutions that could be adopted by car owners to prevent falling victim to the attack.

According to the cyber-alert unit of the commission, “When affected, the only mitigation is to reset your key fob at the dealership. Besides, the affected car manufacturer may provide a security mechanism that generate fresh codes for each authentication request, this makes it difficult for an attacker to ‘replay’ the codes thereafter. Additionally, vulnerable car users should store their key fobs in signal-blocking ’Faraday pouches’ when not in use.”

Importantly, it was said, car owners in the stated categories were advised to choose Passive Keyless Entry, PKE, as opposed to Remote Keyless Entry, RKE, which would make it harder for an attacker to read the signal due to the fact that criminals would need to be at close proximity to carry out their nefarious acts.

Adinde’s statement reads further: “The PKE is an automotive security system that operates automatically when the user is in proximity to the vehicle, unlocking the door on approach or when the door handle is pulled, and also locking it when the user walks away or touches the car on exit. The RKE system, on the other hand, represents the standard solution for conveniently locking and unlocking a vehicle’s doors and luggage compartment by remote control.

“Additionally, in a related advisory, the NCC, based on another detection by CSIRT, wishes to inform the general public about the resurgence of Joker Trojan-Infected Android Apps on Google Play Store. This arose due to the activities of criminals who intentionally download legitimate apps from the Play Store, modify them by embedding the Trojan malware and then uploading the app back to the Play Store with a new name.

“The malicious payload is only activated once the apps goes live on the Play Store, which enables the apps to scale through Google’s strict evaluation process. Once installed, these apps request for permissions that once granted, enable the apps to have access to critical functions such as text messages and notifications.

“As a consequence, a compromised device will subscribe unwitting users to premium services, billing them for services that do not exist. A device like this can also be used to commit Short Messaging Service (SMS) fraud while the owner is unaware.

“It can click on online ads automatically and even use SMS One Time password (OTPs) to secretly approve payments. Without checking bank statements, the user will be unaware that he or she has subscribed to an online service. Other actions, such as stealing text messages, contacts, and other device data, are also possible.

“To avoid falling victim to the manipulation of hackers deploying Joker Trojan-Infected Android Apps, Android users have been advised to avoid downloading unnecessary apps or installing apps from unofficial sources. The NCC also wishes to advise telecom consumers to ensure that apps installed from the Google Play Store are heavily scrutinized by reading reviews, assessing the developers, perusing the terms of use and only granting the necessary permissions.

“Conclusively, the NCC recommends that unauthorised transactions be checked against any installed app. Indeed, any apps not in use should be deleted while users are also advised to ensure that a device is always patched and updated to the latest software.”

The post How hackers can unlock, steal your vehicles, NCC reveals appeared first on Frontpageng.