Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has released a warning today of a new hack affecting Android devices.
According to the report, an Italian security company (RCS Lab) has created a new Android spyware similar to the Pegasus that was created by Israeli company, NSO Group. Once spyware is installed in your device, it can log the activities on your phone without being detected.
The new hack, collectively known as Hermit, targets Android and iPhone devices through RCS Lab’s spy tools. Apple has released a statement that they have removed all known certifications and accounts that are affiliated with Hermit.
For its part, RCS Lab says that its software is compliant with EU regulations. They also boast of being “the leading European provider of complete lawful interception services, with more than 10,000 intercepted targets handled daily in Europe alone.”
But as Google’s TAG team discovered, companies similar to RCS “are enabling the proliferation of dangerous hacking tools and arming governments that would not be able to develop these capabilities in-house.”
As a way of warning users, Google has sent out a notification to users affected by Hermit in Italy and Kazakhstan. The hacking tool is currently being spread via a message link.
“In some cases, we believe the actors worked with the target’s ISP (internet service provider) to disable the target’s mobile data connectivity. Once disabled, the attacker would send a malicious link via SMS asking the target to install an application to recover their data connectivity.”
You can read more about the report here.
Source: PhoneArena
