Evasive Sturnus Malware Can Take Full Control Of Infected Android Devices

Security researchers at Threat Fabric have discovered new malware targeting Android devices, which is still "in a development or limited testing phase." However, even in its current form it’s still incredibly potent, enabling attackers to take complete control of a victim’s device including obtaining access to encrypted messages.

This new threat, dubbed "Sturnus," is a banking trojan with an extra trick up its sleeve: it has the ability to capture whatever happens to be on a device’s screen, but it will specifically target encrypted messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. By snapping an image of the screen in real time it’s able to bypass the security that encryption offers.

Moreover, the threat actors behind Sturnus use control of a device’s display to defraud unsuspecting victims. It’s able to black out the screen while while it works in the background to commit fraudulent ...