Security News > 2022 > June > SMSFactory Android malware sneakily subscribes to premium services
Security researchers are warning of an Android malware named SMSFactory that adds unwanted costs to the phone bill by subscribing victims to premium services.
The number of its victims is unclear but attempts to infect Android devices have been recorded for tens of thousands of Android users protected by Avast security products in at least eight countries.
According to Avast, SMSFactory targeted more than 165,000 of its Android customers between May 2021 to May 2022, most of them located in Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, and Ukraine.
While SMSFactory's main goal is to send premium text and make calls to premium phone numbers, Avast researchers noticed a malware variant that can also steal the contact list on compromised devices, likely to be used as another distribution method for the threat.
If the campaign operators deem the device usable, they send back instructions and subscribe the victim to premium services.
One of the most recent variants of the SMSFactory malware can also add admin accounts on the device, likely required for the SMS distribution using the contact list.
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