Kaspersky Broke The Ice Regarding Transparent Tribe Malicious Spy Activities

Posted in News by Julie

Spying activities are getting common with the progression of technology. The internet space is indeed full of cyber threats lurking to attack us anytime. Millions of eyes are watching our every online activity. But, the worst in this scenario is malware attacks, designed to steal the personal information of victims.

We are surrounded by thousands of malware. Several unauthorized apps can crack the operating system of mobile phones just to collect the personal information of the user.

In 2019, 39% of businesses in the United Kingdom got attacked by ransomware. Stats show that the corporate industry gets more cyber threats than individual beings.

Today, Transparent Tribe has become the talk of the town for illegally spying on the personal details of the internet users.

Let’s dig into the details and get more insights about Transparent Tribe’s data-stealing activities.

What is the Transparent Tribe?

Transparent Tribe. Also known as PROJECTM or MYTHIC LEOPARD, is a prolific group known to target the Military and Government by infecting the USB devices with powerful malware attacks. The threat spreader is notorious for its malicious activities since 2013. In the cyber security world, Transparent Tribe is renowned for its main malware Crimson Remote Access Trojan. Moreover, Python-based RAT malware is also known for malicious attacks.

Kaspersky Investigations on Transparent Tribe:

Back in January 2019, Kaspersky started an investigation on the ongoing spying campaign of the Transparent Tribe. In the series of attacks, malicious Microsoft Office files were sent to the victims. Phishing emails were the main source of sending such malware. The result showed 1000 victims over 30 different countries.

Recently, Kaspersky found that the Transparent Tribe is targeting mobile users with robust malware files.

Transparent Tribe, a known APT group, is now targeting mobile devices of the online users by sending malicious Remote Access Trojan files.

A research conducted by Kaspersky revealed that under the name of COVID-19 tracking apps Transparent Tribe, in its ongoing spying campaign, is distributing Crimson Server RAT files to the online audience. The report also shows that the APT group is receiving funds to power up their tracking features to infect mobile devices and spy on the personal information of online users.

At the current times, COVID-19 tracking apps are in great demand. Taking it as an opportunity, spyware apps are actively penetrating the mobile operating systems.

Such malware shows itself as a COVID-19 tracking app and secretly links viruses to infect the target device.

If the user installs an app like COVID-19, the malware automatically gets downloaded in his/her phone. The spying tool then becomes enabled to monitor the target phone remotely.

Here is what this powerful malware can do;

Access SMS: By accessing the SMS, spy software can record all the sent, received, and draft messages of the target device.

Enable Microphone: Spyware or malware can enable the microphone of the target device. By this, the perpetrator can listen to the surround recordings of the target tablet or cellphone.

Access Call Logs: Call logs history or contact details can easily be fetched out from the target phone if it has spyware installed in it.

Track GPS Location: Unfortunately, if a phone gets targeted by malware, it can track the whereabouts of the cell phone owner.

Take Screenshots: Capturing screenshots can record your screen activities and send every little detail to the hacker.

Phone spyware attacks are designed to record and fetch all the personal mobile information and send it to an external server where all these data get saved. Information stolen by malware attacks can be used to blackmail the victim or for a data breach (in the case of Government and Military issues).

However, people can save themselves from getting such a threat. By securing mobile devices, people can protect their personal data stored in their cell phones or tablets.

Let’s have a look at some precautionary measures that can save us from malware and spyware attacks.

Safety Precautions – Suggested by Kaspersky:

While revealing the unseen truth about spying activities of the Transparent Tribe, Kaspersky also suggested mobile users keep their devices secure.

The first and foremost precautionary measure is to make your own device secure. The user must install a reliable anti-malware in his/her phone so that any cyber threat can be detected before it damages the phone.

Secondly, the user must download content from reliable and secure sources. While accessing websites and apps, the user shall ensure that the source providing the download facility is itself secure or not.

Today, as we all are cell phone users, it is vital to keep our personal data safe from cyber threats. In the case of businesses, every company should train their resources about cybersecurity.

We all need basic cybersecurity hygiene training. Because, all of us are the fish in the same sea – and that is the internet.

Final Thoughts:

The epidemic of Corona Virus has disturbed lives all around the globe. With such a hustle, the invention of COVID-19 tracking apps gained popularity among internet users. The present situation gave malware attackers free ground to target mobile devices under fake or pseudo-COVID-19 tracking apps. The online market now contains a big number of unauthorized apps that are solely designed to steal the personal information of online users. Such malware or spyware attacks can have multiple reasons, either the perpetrator wants to blackmail the victim or is wishing for ransomware.

During such a worrying situation, Kaspersky revealed the prominent player of the spyware world, the Transparent Tribe. With Crimson RAT and Python-based RAT malware, the cyber attackers are stealing user information via fake Corona Virus tracking apps. Though, it should not be a surprising situation, as a number of malware attacks are faced by the public every passing day. The best way to mitigate the chances of encountering a malware attack is by keeping our devices secure with anti-malware software. Stay safe and keep your loved ones safe from the online dangers of the internet world.