A new threat targeting Android users has emerged. “Fake but safe” chat apps developed to steal data from popular messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram have caused great concern. Malware distributed as “Safe Chat” can expose your chat data.
Don’t jeopardize your chats with “Safe” WhatsApp
Cyber security researchers have uncovered a new type of malware for Android. Distributed to infected devices under the name “Safe Chat”, it disguises itself as a chat app. However, it requests permissions that allow it to access sensitive data such as location, contacts, messages and call logs.
According to analysis by cybersecurity firm Cyfirma, Safe Chat is likely a variant of the “Coverlm” family of malware previously used to target private data from apps like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram.
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Safe Chat claims to be a “safe” WhatsApp and sends pop-up messages asking the user to allow background and accessibility activity and ignore battery optimizations. These permissions provide information such as access to the infected device and listening to the user’s keystrokes.
Google said it has removed apps containing “Safe Chat” from the Play Store, but the malware continues to spread in third-party stores. Users should be very selective when granting app permissions. They are also advised to be careful about installing unknown apps to protect against such malware attacks.
The techniques used in this attack are similar to previous work by an Indian government-backed hacker group. This has led to speculation that the team that developed Safe Chat is linked to the Indian government.
