Android app records users and sends audio files to server
Malicious apps for Android devices are commonplace, for a variety of reasons. An app from the Google Play Store, installed on an Android smartphone as legitimate, remotely activated the phone's microphone and recorded the user, connected to a remote server and uploaded the audio files it had collected. This is iRecorder Screen Recorder and just from the name alone you would think that you would avoid installing it on your device.
The app was first released on the Google Play Store in September 2021 and when version 1.3.8 was released in August 2022 it managed to add malicious features through an update released a year after its initial release. This update, according to ESET security researcher Lukas Stefanko, managed to violate users' privacy by activating the microphone and audio recording, as well as by connecting to an external server to transfer audio data and other sensitive files kept on the phone.
According to Stefanko, who installed iRecorder Screen Recorder on several devices, the app recorded audio for 1 minute every 15 minutes and sent the file to the server. The recordings never stopped, resulting in increased battery consumption.
This dangerous app has been taken down from the Google Play Store, but if we have it on our device we need to delete it immediately.
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But let's look at some general tips for app security on Android devices:
- Download from reliable sources: We only download apps from the official Google Play Store or other trusted sources such as the Amazon Appstore. We avoid installing apps from incompatible sources.
- Review of evaluations and comments: Before we download an app, we read the ratings, reviews and user reports to find out about potential security issues.
- Application rights: We switch our Android settings and check the permissions requested by an application before installing it. If an app asks for more permissions than seems necessary, it may be a warning of possible malicious behavior.
- Application updates: We make sure we have enabled automatic app updates on our device. Updates often include security fixes to address known issues.
- ''Antispyware'' security software: We install a trusted security app from a trusted source, such as the Google Play Store, to protect our device from malware.
It is always important to be careful about the apps we install and to be aware of the security practices on our device.
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