A recently identified attack that employs malicious applications to infect smartphones with malware that can breach Facebook accounts has affected over 300,000 Android users.
The Schoolyard Bully Trojan has been active since 2018, according to a recent report from Zimperium, but more lately, fraudsters have started utilizing seemingly benign educational apps on the Google Play Store and third-party app stores to spread it.
Attackers continue to target Facebook because of its 2.96 billion monthly users, and this Android trojan is able to collect emails, phone numbers, passwords, IDs, and complete names of the social media network. Furthermore, since password reuse is still a significant issue, stolen Facebook login information is frequently used to access individuals’ bank accounts.
Targeting people with Android trojan
The Schoolyard Bully Trojan is being disseminated in this most recent operation through educational applications.
The chat feature in these malicious apps—which have already been taken down from the Play Store—requires users to sign into their Facebook accounts before they can use it.
When a user tries to log in, Schoolyard Bully uses JavaScript injection to collect their Facebook login information. This information is subsequently transferred to an attacker-controlled command and control (C&C) server. The malware can also avoid antivirus protection by storing the C&C data in native libraries.
Zimperium claims that Schoolyard Bully has targeted Android users in several nations, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, the United Kingdom, India, and others. Since these malicious apps can still be available in third-party app stores, the total number of countries could be greater.
How to protect yourself against Android trojans and viruses
Installing apps from unauthorized app stores and untrusted sources should be avoided in order to prevent hackers from stealing your Facebook and other login information. One of the many benefits of using Android is the ability to sideload apps, but doing so might be risky if you’re not careful.
On your Android smartphone, make sure Google Play Protect is turned on so that it can check all newly downloaded applications as well as the ones you already have installed for malware. You might also want to think about installing one of the top Android antivirus applications in addition to it for more security.
Conclusion
Before downloading any new apps to your devices, you should give it some thought. Yes, Google analyzes them for viruses and malware before uploading them to the Play Store, but occasionally malicious apps manage to evade detection. This is why before clicking the install button, you should read reviews from third parties and research the app’s source.
Since the Schoolyard Bully Trojan began operating more than four years ago, it has successfully stolen login information from over 300,000 people. As a result, it is probable that fraudsters will continue to use this virus to steal passwords and accounts from unsuspecting users.
