Does your backup service really backup your data?

Have you ever wished that your smartphone had more memory space? Have you ever had an experience wherein you wanted to take more selfies but your phone's memory and memory card is already full? Don't you just wish that you could just go online and remotely save your pictures(and or other files)? Well, you can. You can just backup and upload your files into a server and voila! free space!

But how sure are you with your backup service? Are you sure that it only uploads and saves your files? Or does it just steal them?

Users must be very careful with choosing their online backup services. Because they might just be a victim of SocialPath.


What is SocialPath?
SocialPath is a malware that supposedly provides a backup service which saves the user's contacts, photos, videos, and other data. This malware was discovered to have predominated over the Middle East, mainly in Sudan.

What does this malware do and where does it come from?
This malware is distributed through spam messages via popular social networks like Twitter and WhatsApp. The spam message contains some text and a link to the app's download file.

When a user downloads and installs the app, it initially creates an app icon but it will hide/delete it while the user is registering. When the user signs up/registers for this app's fake service, it will request for user information such as full name, email address, phone number, country of residence and a personal photograph. After that, the malware's BootStartUpReceiver starts a service which connects to the command and control server. Where in it exfiltrates the user's information together with the infected device's contacts, SMS messages, call log details, and device information such as MAC, carrier and country.

The malware also has the ability to call any number requested by the server and then hang up for a short period of time.

A sample app of SocialPath

Article Ref: https://blog.lookout.com/blog/2015/01/06/socialpath/