


By disrupting the device’s actual communication capabilities, the attackers can maximize the time spent doing malicious activities.Īccording to its researchers, Red Alert 2.0 is being peddled on hacking forums for $500-a low price that could make it attractive to a large number of potential attackers. The malware also intercepts SMS text messages, sending messages to the attackers for future use. Red Alert 2.0 will block incoming calls from banks, presumably to block verification attempts. The credentials are then sent to a command-and-control (C&C server) that the attackers control. Once a user downloads one of these malicious apps into their devices and opens it, a popup overlay will appear prompting the user to enter their login credentials. Dubbed Red Alert 2.0 (Detected by Trend Micro as ANDROIDOS_BANKER) by its creators, this new malware tricks users into downloading it by hiding in third-party app stores as fake versions of legitimate applications such as WhatsApp, Viber, and updates for both Android and Flash Player. A spate of new attacks targeting the Android operating system have been discovered using a banking trojan named after a video game.
