These 12 Android Apps Spying on Indian Pakistani Users Having VajraSpy Malware Advised to Remove Asap All Details

Earlier this month, researchers at cybersecurity company ESET discovered 12 Android apps that share similar malicious code for spying. These apps have caused damage to hundreds of devices. The apps have mostly victimized users from India and Pakistan. It has been said in the report that VajraSPY malware has been found in these apps, which is used for special espionage. Of all the reported apps, one claims to be a news app and the others are messaging tools. These apps secretly execute Vajraspy remote access trojan (RAT) code, which is used by the Patchwork APT group for targeted espionage.

ESET has a Report Has been released, in which it has been told that 12 Android apps are targeting users for spying in India and Pakistan. A similar VajraSPY malware was found in the apps, which executes RAT code and steals the device's contacts, files, call logs and SMS. Not only this, the report also states that some of these apps can steal messages from WhatsApp and Signal platforms, along with recording phone calls and taking pictures from the camera.

While ESET telemetry data detected these only from Malaysia, the company believes they were merely incidental and not the actual targets of the campaign, with its main targets being Android smartphone users in India and Pakistan.

ESET says “We believe victims were contacted via honey-trap romance scams, where campaign operators feigned romantic and/or sexual interest in their targets on other platforms and then sent them through these trojanized “Convinced you to download the apps.”

While 12 of these apps were on the Google Play Store, the others (including Xamalicious) are on third-party app stores. Although Google has removed all the apps, but still if a user has already installed them on his device, he will have to remove them himself.

The names of these 12 apps are as follows:- Meet Me, Prive Talk, Nidus, Wave Chat, Yoho Talk, Rafaqat News, Tik Talk, Lets Chat, Glow Glow, Quick Chat, NioNio, Hello Chat, Chit Chat

At the same time, the apps equipped with Xamalicious are as follows:- Track Your Sleep, Auto Click Repeater, Numerology: Personal Horoscope & Number Predictions, Universal Calculator, Logo Maker Pro, Essential Horoscope for Android, 3D Skin Editor for PE Minecraft, LetterLink, Step Keeper : Easy Pedometer, Astrological Navigator: Daily Horoscope & Tarot, Count Easy Calorie Calculator, Sound Volume Booster, Sound Volume Extender