BlackRock Android Malware And List Of Affected Apps: Explained

Generally, smartphone Operating Systems like Android and iOS are quite secure and unlike Windows, they are not impacted by malware. Sadly, this time around a new smartphone malware by the name of BlackRock has been discovered recently. According to Security firm ThreatFabric, BlackRock can steal data, passwords, and credit/debit card information from over 337 mainstream smartphone applications.

In this article, I have shared information about the aforementioned malware accompanied by a list of affected Android applications.

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What Is BlackRock Android Malware And How Does It Work?

BlackRock is a recently discovered Android malware that is based on the leaked source code of the Xeres malware. Unlike other Android malware, BlackRock can collect all sorts of data from mainstream applications like Netflix, Tinder, PayPal, Amazon, Facebook, and many more.

Once installed on a smartphone, the malware hides from the app drawer which makes it invisible to the users’ eye. The only possible to locate this malware is by going to the huge list of installed applications and services in the settings of Android smartphones. BlackRock randomly asks users for accessibility service privileges. Once the privileges are granted it automatically gives itself access to other important permissions. These permissions help the Malware to function properly.

Once the installation and activation process is completed, the malware starts monitoring the target apps. Whenever, you enter any sensitive information like usernames, passwords, banking application login details, it automatically transfers these details to the hacker’s server.

In order to fool the end-user, BlackRock pops up a fake overlay and records the data entered by the user.

The Researchers at ThreatFabric in a blog post stated that,

“The second half of 2020 will come with its surprises, after Alien, Eventbot, and BlackRock we can expect that financially motivated threat actors will build new banking Trojans and continue improving the existing ones. With the changes that we expect to be made to mobile banking Trojans, the line between banking malware and spyware becomes thinner, banking malware will pose a threat for more organizations and their infrastructure, an organic change that we observed on windows banking malware years ago.”

How To Protect Your Smartphone From BlackRock Android Malware?

It is worth noting that, the BlackRock Android Malware is presently being redistributed as a fake Google Update on many different third-party app stores. It’s almost impossible for the developer of this Malware to publish this application on the Google Playstore. Consequently, I advise Paidfreedroid readers to download apps and games from Google Playstore only.

Apps Affected By The Malware

Here’s a list of the impacted applications.

Credit Card Theft Target List

The actual BlackRock target list used for credit card theft contains 111 applications: