Some scary news when it comes to Android devices today, as it was found that over 20 apps on Google Play were infected with HummingWhale malware. The HummingWhale malware is in the family of the HummingBad malware, which was first found in 2016 in non-Google apps.
HummingWhale Malware Found in Google Play Store
The bad news here is that this new malware, HummingWhale, has been found on apps that are now in the Google Play Store. This is bad because the HummingBad malware, which was found last year, was never found in the official Google Play Store. What is even worse is that it shows a progression in the malware to make it onto Google Play and infect unsuspecting apps. The apps have been downloaded a total of anywhere between 2 and 12 million times.
HummingWhale malware is different from HummingBad because of the fact this new malware uses virtual machine methods to infect and hack into the devices as opposed to the old method of HummingBad. HummingBad uses the method of overriding the various security protections through the root vulnerabilities, and then it installs apps and advertisements on your Android device.
In fact, over 10 million people ended up downloading HummingBad infected apps, which led to the revenue of over $300,000 a month on these fraudulent advertisements. Over 280,000 downloads of HummingBad were from the United States. The true difference between HummingWhale and HummingBad is that HummingWhale does things automatically without needing any type of permissions or authorizations from the Android user. HummingBad requires at least some Android user approvals and permissions to be granted in order to install the fraudulent apps and advertisements on the device.
HummingWhale was found on 20 different apps in the Google Play Store, and Check Point, the research firm looking into this family of malware said that this news is very bad for Android users. The worst part of this is that it means downloading apps through Google Play that have a high reputation is no longer the only thing Android users need to focus on.
These apps were all found on Google Play and not through third-party websites or app stores, and also had high reputations. This means that Android users need to use more than one security method before downloading apps, so just blindly trusting highly-reputable apps on Google Play Store is not enough. When it comes to HummingWhale, it is hidden and the users are never aware that it was downloaded onto the Android device at all.
HummingWhale malware basically is there to make money, so this app will also download applications and show fraudulent advertisements. If you try to close the application out, it will end up running itself still using the virtual machine method. This allows a fake ID to be manufactured which then will create revenue from fake referrals. The malware uses the virtual machine to install and download the apps onto your Android device without your permission or without you granting those higher-level permissions.
For Android users, this leaves you essentially powerless to stop HummingWhale malware from happening. The way the virtual machine method works also allows it to go unnoticed in Google Play, since it disguises the nefarious activities. The Android device does not stop the fraudulent apps from downloading either, so this HummingWhale malware can install an infinite number of apps without overload going on.
The worst part about all of this is that it shows malware on Android is now getting smarter and harder to find. Even though HummingWhale only made it onto 20 apps in Google Play, it is unnerving to know how it can disguise itself to the point of making it on there in the first place. Google has already removed the 20 apps from Google Play Store after getting a notification about this issue, so there is no need to worry about those 20 apps. The concern now though is that the HummingWhale will continue to infect apps on Google Play, and no one will be any the wiser to the infections.
Check Point has an app that allows you to see whether your Android device is infected with HummingWhale, and Lookout does as well. For Android users, HummingWhale is just the newest threat to the open system known as Android, which has seen many vulnerabilities and malware issues in the past year. The best thing to do is always check and double check the apps before you download them onto your Android device.
Even if you see a highly-reputable app on Google Play, you should at least do a little researching to ensure that the app was not listed in any malware infections, such as in HummingWhale. With HummingWhale and the whole HummingBad family of malware, the main thing seems to be generating fake advertisements to get a bunch of money for the person behind the malware.
There does not appear to be a threat about stealing personal information or using personal information or hacking into banking information. The only really bad thing is that HummingWhale will automatically download apps without your permission or approval. So while HummingWhale malware might end up being very annoying on your Android device, it appears at least for now, that personal and financial information is okay.
For an added layer of protection on your Android device, it is suggested that you download some type of malware protection or anti-virus program onto your Android device. Many of the top anti-virus software companies now have mobile versions for both Android and iOS, which can keep your Android device safe and keep malware like HummingWhale off of your Android device.
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