Android.Sysecsms

Discovered:

December 27, 2012

Updated:

December 27, 2012 4:18:00 PM

Type:

Trojan

Systems Affected:

Android

Android package file
The Trojan may arrive as a package with the following characteristics:

Package name: com.android.systemsecurity
APK: mms475843.apk
Version: 1.0
Name: System Service


Permissions
When the Trojan is being installed, it requests permissions to perform the following actions:

• Allow read-only access to the phone state
• Monitor incoming SMS messages, to record or perform processing on them
• Open network sockets
• Read the user's contacts data
• Receive the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message that is broadcast after the system finishes booting
• Send SMS messages
• Write to an external storage device

Installation
Once installed, the application will display an icon with the text "System Service".




Functionality
When the Trojan is executed, it collects information from the device, including:

• IMEI
• IMSI
• Operating system information
• Phone book contacts

The above information is then sent to the following command-and-control (C&C) server:
load-center.ru

Next, the Trojan receives a list of premium-rate phone numbers from the above C&C server and sends SMS messages to them.

The Trojan is also able to filter all SMS messages in order to prevent the user from being aware of any premium-rate messages being sent or received.

Recommendations

Symantec Security Response encourages all users and administrators to adhere to the following basic security "best practices":

• Use a firewall to block all incoming connections from the Internet to services that should not be publicly available. By default, you should deny all incoming connections and only allow services you explicitly want to offer to the outside world.
• Enforce a password policy. Complex passwords make it difficult to crack password files on compromised computers. This helps to prevent or limit damage when a computer is compromised.
• Ensure that programs and users of the computer use the lowest level of privileges necessary to complete a task. When prompted for a root or UAC password, ensure that the program asking for administration-level access is a legitimate application.
• Disable AutoPlay to prevent the automatic launching of executable files on network and removable drives, and disconnect the drives when not required. If write access is not required, enable read-only mode if the option is available.
• Turn off file sharing if not needed. If file sharing is required, use ACLs and password protection to limit access. Disable anonymous access to shared folders. Grant access only to user accounts with strong passwords to folders that must be shared.
• Turn off and remove unnecessary services. By default, many operating systems install auxiliary services that are not critical. These services are avenues of attack. If they are removed, threats have less avenues of attack.
• If a threat exploits one or more network services, disable, or block access to, those services until a patch is applied.
• Always keep your patch levels up-to-date, especially on computers that host public services and are accessible through the firewall, such as HTTP, FTP, mail, and DNS services.
• Configure your email server to block or remove email that contains file attachments that are commonly used to spread threats, such as .vbs, .bat, .exe, .pif and .scr files.
• Isolate compromised computers quickly to prevent threats from spreading further. Perform a forensic analysis and restore the computers using trusted media.
• Train employees not to open attachments unless they are expecting them. Also, do not execute software that is downloaded from the Internet unless it has been scanned for viruses. Simply visiting a compromised Web site can cause infection if certain browser vulnerabilities are not patched.
• If Bluetooth is not required for mobile devices, it should be turned off. If you require its use, ensure that the device's visibility is set to "Hidden" so that it cannot be scanned by other Bluetooth devices. If device pairing must be used, ensure that all devices are set to "Unauthorized", requiring authorization for each connection request. Do not accept applications that are unsigned or sent from unknown sources.
• For further information on the terms used in this document, please refer to the Security Response glossary.