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{"id":10344,"date":"2022-07-20T15:12:32","date_gmt":"2022-07-20T15:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/07\/20\/a-russian-backed-malware-group-is-spoofing-pro-ukraine-apps-google-finds\/"},"modified":"2022-07-20T15:12:34","modified_gmt":"2022-07-20T15:12:34","slug":"a-russian-backed-malware-group-is-spoofing-pro-ukraine-apps-google-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceandnerds.com\/2022\/07\/20\/a-russian-backed-malware-group-is-spoofing-pro-ukraine-apps-google-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"A Russian-backed malware group is spoofing pro-Ukraine apps, Google finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/7\/19\/23270049\/russian-malware-ukraine-apps-turla-cyber-azov-google<\/a>
\n
<\/br><\/code><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAll warfare is based on deception,\u201d Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War<\/em>. Some 2,500 years later, the maxim applies to the virtual battlefield as well as the physical.<\/p>\n

As the war in Ukraine rages on, researchers from Google have discovered malware from a Russian state-backed group disguised as a pro-Ukraine app. The details were revealed in a blog post<\/a> published by Google\u2019s Threat Analysis Group (TAG), which specializes in tracking and exposing state-sponsored hacking.<\/p>\n

According to TAG, the Cyber Azov app \u2014 which invokes Ukraine\u2019s far-right military unit<\/a>, the Azov Regiment \u2014 was actually created by Turla, a Kremlin-backed hacking group known for compromising European and American organizations<\/a> with malware.<\/p>\n

\n <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\"A<\/p>\n

<\/source><\/picture>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Screenshot taken from the Cyber Azov website.<\/em><\/figcaption>Image: Google Threat Analysis Group<\/cite><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Per TAG\u2019s research, the app was distributed through a domain controlled by Turla and had to be manually installed from the APK application file rather than being hosted on the Google Play Store. Text on the Cyber Azov website claimed the app would launch denial-of-service attacks on Russian websites, but TAG\u2019s analysis showed that the app was ineffective for this purpose. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, analysis of the APK file on VirusTotal<\/a> indicates that many of the biggest anti-malware providers flag it as a malicious app containing a Trojan.<\/p>\n

TAG\u2019s blog post suggests that the number of users who installed the app is small. However, the Cyber Azov domain was still accessible to The Verge<\/em> on Tuesday morning, meaning more Android users could be tricked into downloading an app. A Bitcoin address listed on the website to solicit donations had not made or received any transactions<\/a> at time of publication, lending support to the assessment that the malicious app has not achieved a wide reach. (On the other side of the conflict, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have provided one revenue stream for the Ukrainian government and military thanks to the efforts of the Ukraine-based Kuna exchange<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Besides malicious Android apps, TAG also flagged the exploitation of the recently discovered Follina vulnerability in Microsoft Office<\/a>, which allows hackers to take over computers using maliciously crafted Word documents. The vulnerability had been used by groups linked to the Russian military (GRU) to target media organizations in Ukraine, Google researchers said.<\/p>\n

The spoof app uploaded by Turla taps into a significant trend in the cyber dimension of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, namely the participation of a large decentralized base of digital volunteers hoping to aid the Ukrainian cause. Early in the conflict, Anonymous-linked groups scored a number of victories against Russian companies by hacking and leaking sensitive data<\/a>, although it is unclear what material effect this has had on the course of the war.<\/p>\n

Throughout the invasion, Ukraine\u2019s \u201cIT army\u201d has made headlines by carrying out a string of denial-of-service attacks, loosely coordinated through a government-endorsed Telegram channel \u2014 an organizational strategy that analysts have described as a groundbreaking approach<\/a> to cyber and information warfare.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


<\/br><\/code><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2022\/7\/19\/23270049\/russian-malware-ukraine-apps-turla-cyber-azov-google<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source: \u201cAll warfare is based on deception,\u201d Sun Tzu wrote in The Art of War. Some 2,500 years later, the maxim applies to the virtual battlefield as well as the physical. 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