McAfee found that Android-based malware achieved a 35 percent growth
rate not seen since early 2012. This rebound was marked by the continued
proliferation of SMS-stealing banking malware, fraudulent dating and
entertainment apps, weaponized legitimate apps and malicious apps posing
as useful tools.
McAfee Labs registered twice as many new ransomware samples in Q2 as in
Q1, raising the 2013 ransomware count higher than the total found in all
previous periods combined.
The second quarter also saw a 16 percent increase in suspicious URLs, a
50 percent increase in digitally-signed malware samples, and notable
events in the cyber-attack and espionage areas, including multiple
attacks on the global Bitcoin infrastructure and revelations around the Operation Troy network targeting U.S. and South Korean military assets.
McAfee Labs researchers identified a set of common mobile strategies
employed by cybercriminals to extract money and confidential information
from victims:
Banking malware. Many banks implementing two-factor
authentication require customers to log into their online accounts using
a username, password and a mobile transaction number (mTAN) sent to
their mobile device via a text message. McAfee Labs researchers
identified four significant pieces of mobile malware that capture the
traditional usernames and passwords, and then intercept SMS messages
containing bank account login credentials. The malicious parties then
directly access accounts and transfer funds.
Fraudulent dating apps. McAfee Labs discovered a surge in dating
and entertainment apps that dupe users into signing up for paid services
that do not exist. Lonely users attempt to access potential partners’
profiles and other content only to become further frustrated when the
scam is recognized. The profits from the purchases are later
supplemented by the ongoing theft and sale of user information and
personal data stored on the devices.
Trojanized apps. Research revealed the increasing use of
legitimate apps altered to act as spyware on users' devices. These
threats collect a large amount of personal user information (contacts,
call logs, SMS messages, location) and upload the data to the attacker’s
server.
Fake tools. Cyber criminals are also using apps posing as helpful
tools, such as app installers that actually install spyware that
collects and forwards valuable personal data.
“The mobile cybercrime landscape is becoming more defined as cybergangs
determine which tactics are most effective and profitable,” said Vincent
Weafer, senior vice president, McAfee Labs. “As in other mature areas
of cybercrime, the profit motive of hacking bank accounts has eclipsed
the technical challenges of bypassing digital trust. Tactics such as the
dating and entertainment app scams benefit from the lack of attention
paid to such schemes; while others simply target the mobile paradigm’s
most popular currency: personal user information.”
Beyond mobile threats, the second quarter revealed the continued
adaptability of attackers in adjusting tactics to opportunities,
challenges to infrastructure upon which commerce relies, and a creative
combination of disruption, distraction and destruction to veil advanced
targeted attacks:
Ransomware. Over the past two quarters McAfee Labs has catalogued
more ransomware samples than in all previous periods combined. The
number of new samples in the second quarter was greater than 320,000,
more than twice as many as the previous period, demonstrating the
profitability of the tactic.
Digitally-signed malware. Malware signed with legitimate
certificates increased 50 percent, to 1.2 million new samples,
rebounding sharply from a decline in the first quarter. The trend of
illegitimate code authenticated by legitimate certificate authorities
could inevitably undermine confidence in the global certificate trust
infrastructure.
Suspicious URLS. The second quarter’s increase in suspicious URLs
shows how important “infected” sites remain as a distribution mechanism
for malware. At June’s end, the total number of suspect URLs tallied by
McAfee Labs reached 74.7 million, which represents a 16 percent
increase over the first quarter.
Spam volume. Global spam volume continued to surge through the
second quarter with more than 5.5 trillion spam messages. This
represented approximately 70 percent of global email volume.
Attacks on Bitcoin Infrastructure. The sudden activity in the
Bitcoin market over the course of the past quarter attracted interest
from cybercriminals. In addition to disruptive distributed denial of
service attacks (DDoS), the group infected victims with malware that
uses computer resources to mine and steal the virtual currency.
Operation Troy. McAfee Labs uncovered evidence suggesting that
attacks on South Korean banks and media companies in March and June of
this year were in fact connected to an ongoing cyber espionage campaign
dating back to 2009. A study of forensic evidence suggested that the
campaign was designed to target U.S. and South Korean military systems,
identify and remove confidential files, and, when necessary, destroy the
compromised systems through a master boot record (MBR) attack.
An Android security engineer has again confirmed the existence of the vulnerability that made the most popular Bitcoin wallet apps for the platform open to attack, and offered help for developers.
A
ruling in a lawsuit mounted by Craigslist and against ad indexing firm
3Taps has once again brought attention to the Computer Fraud and Abuse
Act (CFAA), its vague wording, and the need to modernize it.
When
cybercriminals use Man-in-the-Browser (MitB) malware to commit online
fraud, financial institutions are not their only targets. Dating,
eCommerce, hospitality, and travel sites are also being attacked, as is
the gaming industry. While some cybercriminals focus on hacking into
gaming company networks, as demonstrated by the PlayStation Network,
Club Nintendo, Ubisoft, Konami and numerous other hacks, others use
sophisticated malware to steal client credentials. 
