Hacktivism Meets Mobile Malware

Rather than attempting to in some way profit financially from users of Android devices, the creators of the newly discovered Android.Walkinwat are looking to get their message across: don’t download pirated software.

Much like most other Android-focused threats, Android.Walkinwat poses as a legitimate app, in this case “Walk and Text.” However, instead of providing the expected functionality, the threat attempts to gather sensitive phone data. A message is then presented to the user explaining that they have been caught downloading a pirated version of the app. An SMS message is also sent to everyone in the user’s contact list with the following text, “Hey, just downlaoded a pirated App off Internet, Walk and Text for Android. Im stupid and cheap,it costed only 1 buck.Don’t steal like I did!”

The app concludes with a final message to the user, reminding them to check their phone bill, as well as providing an option of buying the legitimate version of the app from the Android App market.

Although this isn’t the first case of digital vigilante justice being used as means to send a message against piracy, it is the first of its kind discovered in the mobile threat landscape.

For more details on the above, please visit www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/android-threat-tackles-piracy-using-austere-justice-measures