New malware attacks all versions of Android; See how to protect yourself

A hacker group is using Rafel software to carry out a series of attacks targeting Android devices. Rafel is an open source remote administration tool (RAT) that can be used for different types of attacks.

The information was taken from the Check Point agency. According to the report, the hacker group “APT-C-35/DoNot Team” used Rafel in approximately 120 malicious campaigns.

The group has caused serious damage to large corporations, including military institutions, as well as many individuals. The company found three specific types of attacks:

• Ransomware operations;
• Scams involving manipulation of two-factor authentication;
• Pakistan government website has been hacked.

Rafel has multiple functions such as remote administration, espionage, data exfiltration, and persistent mechanisms.

Tool It exploits vulnerabilities in the operating system, but also exploits user interaction. Once the appropriate permissions are granted, the software can remain completely undetectable.

Focus of fraud

The countries with the most victims so far are the USA, China and Indonesia. The most affected mobile phones belong to Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo and Huawei. Among specific smartphone models, the affected lines were Pixel (Google), Nexus (LG), Galaxy A and S (Samsung), and Redmi (Xiaomi).

The RAT tool works on all versions of Android, but researchers noticed that newer versions offer greater resilience. The majority of attacks (87.5%) occurred on devices that no longer received security updates.

Rafel can be used to create fake applications that impersonate legitimate applications. These apps trick the user by asking permission from the administrator. From there, the criminal takes remote control of the device and can steal any information, including logins and passwords.

How do you protect yourself?

While there is no specific defense against Rafel, some precautions will help keep your mobile phone safe. See some suggestions:

• Use a new version of Android and keep the system updated;
• Install apps only from Play Store or the official store of each brand;
• Check the app developer to avoid illegal copies;
• Avoid unknown software that promises to increase the security of the device;
• Avoid giving administrative permissions to apps you don’t normally need.