This dangerous new malware affects both iOS and Android phones – and it even steals photos and crypto
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- Malware-tasted apps sneak on to official app stores
- Sparkkitty steals photos to burst into your crypto wallet
- An infected app was downloaded more than 10,000 times
A dangerous new malware The aiming of smartphone users has succeeded in sneaking to both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store without being detected have warned experts.
Sparkkitty was first seen by cyber security experts at Kaspersky In January 2025, and uses optical character recognition to scan your photos and harvest Cryptocurrency portionor. Recovery sentences.
Most crypto -currency exchanges will tell a user to write down a memorable sentence when creating an account for recovery purposes, but many users will simply screens their memorable sentence -making it super easy for Sparkkitty to steal.
Snack by photos and stealing crypto
Kaspersky says that since February 2024 the Sparkkitty malware has been active distributed on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and is also distributed by unofficial resources.
The infected apps have since been removed from both app stores.
In many cases the apps appeared to be legitimate and they were designed for numerous purposes. An infected app called Soex was downloaded more than 10,000 times in the Google Play Store and seemed to be a messaging app with cryptocurrency -trade and exchange functions -the perfect disguise for a malware designed to target on cryptocurrency portfeuilles.
Once installed on a user’s device, the app asks permission to get access to and the image library on both iOS and Android devices. After gaining access, the app then scans the image library and will scan again if these changes that are made to the image library, such as new images that are added or deleted.
It is clear that outside the threat for crypto portfolios is the threat that users are extorted with the help of other images that can be found in their image library, but there is no evidence that this has been done so far.
Hackers are constantly developing new tactics to hide their malware on applications that can be distributed through trusted platforms such as the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Do not forget to check whether the application you download is made by a trusted developer, is definitely the authentic version of the app you are looking for and has reliable reviews. Do not download it when in doubt.
Also be wary of apps that require more permissions than they actually need, or apps who ask for permission to create new configuration profiles and certificates. Finally, when creating a memorable sense of repairing an account, do not keep it stored where it can easily be stolen.
Much of the Best cloud storage Services and Best password managers Offer encrypted storage safes for storing important sentences.
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