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Hackers steal Signal, WhatsApp user data with fake Android chat app

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-steal-signal-whatsapp-user-data-with-fake-android-chat-app/

Hackers are using a fake Android app named 'SafeChat' to infect devices with spyware malware that steals call logs, texts, and GPS locations from phones.

The Android spyware is suspected to be a variant of "Coverlm," which steals data from communication apps such as Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook Messenger.

32 comments

pumpsnabben

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I have a hard time seeing how this app gets my Signal info, SMS is no longer supported in Signal.

Hyzerflip

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I suspect fear mongering as it likely DOES take screenshots and since it has the device infected, it grabs the time/position and other intelligence it can grab. I don’t believe for a second they actually hacked the Signal app itself.

poop

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Yeah that claim seems fairly unsubstantiated by the rest of the article. It’s probably bullshit.

Chadus_Maximus

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Wait it isn't? Are you telling me all the SMS I have received were sent into the pitch black abyss?

ApathyTree

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https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007321171-Can-I-send-SMS-MMS-with-Signal-#:~:text=SMS%20is%20not%20secure%20or%20private%2C%20and%20that,anyone%20snooping%20on%20your%20traffic%20could%20read%20them.

SMS was supported back when I was on android, roughly a year ago, since it handled all of my texting (signal or standard) but it was already broken up in iOS at that point, and they were dropping support for SMS on android (announced October 2022).

pumpsnabben

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I lost SMS support this spring, Signal posted about this in October 2022. I'm on Android and PC.

Compactor9679

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You install the app, by doing so you give the app permisions.

pumpsnabben

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There is no system permission I'm aware of that will give other applications access to Signal which is an app made to be secure with at least a PIN code for accessing it.

donut4ever

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Permanently Deleted

loutr

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And give it accessibility permission, which comes with a big fat warning. Basically you need to tell Android "yes, install and run this random app I don't really need, and give it access to all my info".

luthis

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Anything with the word 'safe' in it should be immediately distrusted.

d3Xt3r

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Probably why Google went from SafetyNet to Play Integrity. Maybe we should also start distrusting "integrity" as well, given how they're trying to push the Web Integrity crap.

BootlegHermit

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"Hackers".

PlexSheep

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The signal user data is only phone number and the date when the account was created iirc.

bjoern_tantau

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The malware is running on the user's phone. There it has access to all of the data, including message contents. Doesn't matter how secure the server and message encryption are.

Signal's servers were not comprimised. And like you said that would only give them a minimal dataset.

Mesaji

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Thats why we should use P2P decentralized network for messaging tool..... So your data won't be store in a central sever, and no one can have access or visibility with your chats history or data.

Recommendation:

Session: P2P, E2EE, ChatRoom, DMs
WireMin: P2P, E2EE, ChatSpace, DMs, FeedSpace

Both of them are decentralized network, I preferred WireMin, because compare to Session, it has FeedSpace for blog post.

Redex68

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Yeah but that wouldn't solve this issue? The malware stole data from the app on the users device, not from a server.

Mesaji

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Thats technically possible?

fushuan

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Did you read the article? Or even the summary. It states that the attack was an Android app names SafeChat that infected the phone and retrieved chat logs, etc.

RubberElectrons

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Oh my goodness.

CarlosCheddar

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As much as I love the decision to be able to sideload apps on iOS I fear that we’ll start seeing headlines like these.

pumpsnabben

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What do you mean? Similar vulnerabilities/apps/phishing has been available on iOS since at least 2020.

DarkSideOfTheMoon

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They are way less than Android and Apple revokes the app certificate so even the download ones stop to work.

Also the rare cases this happened in iOS the number of affected users were way small

This is a bad whatabotism since the scale is completely different and I really fear side loading. Specially because some developers will force users to get stuff outside the App Store putting everyone in risk.

donut4ever

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Permanently Deleted

Dran_Arcana

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A user has to click a lot of buttons to make this work, android security is doing its job. If there's any failing on android security's part, it's consolidating permissions into accessibility services instead of breaking them out into something a user might get scared to click.

Then again, they did click accessibility services on a "secure messaging" app. They need to learn somehow. I just refuse to accept that the appropriate solution is not owning things you buy. There has to be a better way.

sramder

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I always chuckled at my Android friends having to run AV software on their phones, but then we got Pegasus and it got harder to be smug… then the shenanigans from “legitimate” devs like Über and Tencent. It doesn’t seem like blindly trusting Apple was a great idea anymore.

n00dl3

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It never was. Read Apple's true privacy agreement on their website. It's the one you agree to but don't read when you boot up your shiny new mac or iphone for the first time. They are no different from Microsoft or Google, they are just the best at cultivating an image.

Tangent5280

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Prepare yourself for the downvote train approaching at near lightspeed. People cannot fathom how a for profit corporation might do anything they have to to increase profit.

n00dl3

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It's OK. Downvotes don't matter too badly here.

I'd say Apple being a lifestyle brand means the users aren't going to have privacy as a primary concern is the real reason behind this. And it's hard to get out of the walled garden once you're in.

coconutxyz

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Fear not we aren't at the apple subreddit.

noodlejetski

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Android friends having to run AV software on their phones

which does nothing, because even IF the "antivirus" detects malware, it has no privileges necessary to remove it.

sramder

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Still a good first step… I always figured Android AV was more for people who already had a rooted phone?

bjoern_tantau

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Anti virus software on a smartphone makes as much sense as on a PC. Eg none at all. You just increase the attack surface for some warm fuzzy feelings.

98codes

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I won’t be sideloading anything onto my device that I can’t build myself from opensource and understand what it’s doing.

The risk is too damn high otherwise.

n00dl3

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This is just good practice. You don't have to trust anyone's word that what you're installing is what they say it is when you can trust your own eyes.

DarkSideOfTheMoon

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They are way less than Android and Apple revokes the app certificate so even the downloaded ones stop to work.

Also the rare cases this happened in iOS the number of affected users were way small