Smartphones are seriously wonderful since these have introduced us to some amazing things like Snapchat, Vine, Maps, Shazam and some not-so-amazing stuff too like the threat of being stalked.
Malwarebytes researchers claim that a malicious Android app gives your location to an anonymous operator through emails. It is called Spy.MailGPS and it surely is creepy.
Before digging deeper, I need to inform you that location tracking is a big issue on almost all smartphones. Makers of smartphone sand app developers have often been criticized for unintentionally exposing the location of users and also of storing this information.
MUST READ: New Android Malware Spies on You even if Your Phone is Off
This piece of info is definitely scary but in comparison to MailGPS, its nothing.
Where Ever you go- Whatever You Do……..
MailGPS app has been named com.services.Google to avoid detection. This is definitely a very clever move considering the fact that Google is now providing various tools to offer more control on Android devices to the company.
Probably, the average user doesn’t know about the real name of the app and would definitely ignore the appearance of another service from Google on their smartphone.
After being installed, the app will send an email containing the Google Maps link. In the mail there will be the victim’s phone’s longitude and latitude. The mail will presumably be sent to the attacker.
MUST READ: Google Leaving Most Android Users Exposed to Hackers
As per Malwarebytes research findings, the email is activated by an SMS command that appears just like the Google’s and other companies’ tools to help locate the stolen or lost Android devices.
Virus Radar has also placed the MailGPS in Trojan category.
The most frightening part of MailGPS is that it runs in the backgrounds and waits for the SMS command to transmit the location information of the victim.
This means the attacker can easily and repeatedly locate the whereabouts of the victim.
A majority of Android malware seek to generate quick cash from various victims, which means signing up people for premium SMS services, some sort of ClickFrauds and Scams. The primary purpose is to not let the victim notice something fishy. However, MailGPS is quite strange in this regard since we cannot detect the way from which attacker(s) can make money out of it.
It is also possible that MailGPS is a type of spyware as these apps are generally sold by shady developers and people who need to spy on their spouses buy it anyway. These apps are also installed by individuals who suspect their loved ones of cheating on them without the knowledge of the victim.
This app is not new in the never ending array of spyware apps such as the remote access Trojan names AndroRAT is also available online, that too, for free. It is even more dangerous than the MailGPS.
