In particular, the latter may even lead to the smartphone battery "can heat up to its deformation," as Kaspersky Lab said, even if that is unlikely to be the target of the developers, because it only harms their criminal business model. Photos of an affected device, the battery after two days so much deformed that he damaged the case, the company published in his blog.
Monero has risen strongly in value
This is Loapi - full name Trojan.AndroidOS.Loapi - expression of the current crypto currency insanity. The value of Monero has risen practically parallel to that of Bitcoin and other coins, from around 115 euros a month ago to currently 330 euros. Because mining is less computationally intensive than Bitcoin's, it works comparatively efficiently on mobile devices as well as in web browsers. There are official and openly communicated implementations for it, but also the secret hidden in malware and browser scripts.
For example, according to Kaspersky Lab, Loapi is distributed in unofficial Android app stores, as well as through malicious advertising on websites such as porn sites and supposed antivirus software. Infected apps ask for administrator rights after installation until users agree. For camouflage, she can then pretend a malware scan. If a user tries to take the granted rights afterwards, Loapi fights against it: the corresponding menu is closed, the screen is locked. If the user downloads an app that could make Loapi dangerous, he warns the malware in the role of the anti-virus application in front of it and advises to uninstall the new app until the user agrees.
Kaspersky Competition This year, Symantec has discovered 35 different Android apps secretly scouring cryptocurrencies. This corresponds to an increase of 34 percent compared to the previous year.
Unsolicited mining is also spreading rapidly on websites, according to Sophos IT security experts. Since the end of November, the company has seen an increase "from a few hundred websites to more than 10,000", "tendency rising sharply".
Precautions? - The same as always
But the malware trend is also a PR trend: The fact that the three providers of security software publish their reports and analyzes on so-called "drive-by-mining" almost at the same time says as much about the phenomenon itself how about the industry. Cryptocurrencies are currently a big topic in the media, with the development of Bitcoin and its side effects, and software companies are trying to grab the attention for themselves.
Therefore, something like the Loapi Trojan may sound menacing, but ultimately the same precautions for Android users as for stationary computer users to defend against other malware apply: You should download applications only from the official app stores, if possible, their operating system currently hold (if that is possible on your devices) and install a virus scanner.
