A new virus called Selfmite has been detected on the Android platform. This virus spreads itself by sending SMS to contacts in the infected phone with a link.
The text message sent by Selfmite contains the contact’s name and reads: “Dear [NAME], Look the Self-time,” followed by a goo.gl shortened URL.
The rogue link points to an APK (Android application package) file called TheSelfTimerV1.apk that’s hosted on a remote server, researchers from security firm AdaptiveMobile said in a blog post.
If the user agrees to install the APK, an app with the name “The self-timer” will appear in the app list.
In addition to spreading itself to other users, the Selfmite worm tries to convince users to download and install a file called mobogenie_122141003.apk through the local browser.
Mobogenie is a legitimate application that allows users to synchronize their Android devices with their PCs and download apps from an alternative app store. The Mobogenie Market app was downloaded over 50 million times from Google Play, but is also promoted through various paid referral schemes, creating an incentive for attackers to distribute it fraudulently.
Naavi