Chinese ‘swearing trojan’ uses fake cell towers for distribution

Chinese malware, nicknamed ‘Swearing Trojan’ because of its source code swear words, has started using fake cell towers to trick users into clicking a link containing text messages that appear to come from their carrier.

Besides the fact that the malware uses fake cell towers, the text messages are convincing with their content, Check Point reports. The Android malware tried to trick users into clicking a link that installed the malware on their device. The text appeared to come from China Telecom or China Unicom, two major Chinese telecom providers.

The malware tried to differentiate itself in more ways. For example, it appeared as a message from a manager, who asked to respond directly to the content of a document. Opening the document installed the malware. The malware also used a fake MMS with images from its own partners or those of famous people. Those people would be cheating and the images would show that. The trojan also disguised itself as a notification for an app update.

Swearing Trojan further distinguishes itself in that it does not contact a server, but forwards victims’ private data via MMS or e-mail. The creator of the malware has since been arrested.

Insulting trojan horse. This is not a screenshot of the Chinese Android malware Swearing Trojan