Caution: This Android app steals your data – over 100,000 downloads

An Android app was distributed via Google Play that specifically steals the access data for the Facebook account on Android devices. This is reported by the US IT security news site Bleepingcomputer.

The app is Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools. This is supposed to let you upload a photo and turn it into a cartoon. Google has since removed the dangerous app from Google Play, but it was previously installed over 100,000 times.

The security company Pradeo had discovered that the Trojan FaceStealer was hidden in this app. It displays a Facebook login screen when the app is launched. Users must first enter their Facebook login details to use Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools. The app then sends the entered login data to a “Command and Control” server in Russia and to other third-party sites.

This is how cleverly the malware camouflages itself

The malware accounts for only a small part of the source code of the otherwise flawless app. Manipulated in this way, the app then passed the verification process of Google Play. The app is also cleverly camouflaged when it is in use: After you have entered your Facebook login data, the app actually offers the option of uploading a photo to an online editor. A graphic filter is then applied to the photo there. The image changed in this way is then displayed in the app and can be downloaded and sent. So the app appears as if it actually works and the user probably doesn’t suspect it.

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It is about this app.

© https://blog.pradeo.com/spyware-facestealer-google-play

This is what you should do if you have already downloaded the app

Uninstall the app and change your Facebook credentials instantly! Also, be sure to set up two-factor authentication for Facebook.

How to protect yourself from nasty Android apps

Basically, you should only download Android apps from Google Play. But in this specific case, even that did not protect. So always be extra careful when you need to enter your details into an app. Only use well-known apps with a wide user base and always read user app reviews on Google Play before downloading. For “Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools”, for example, these were very negative. Also read the developer information available on Google Play and check if the email address given there exists or if your email is bouncing back as undeliverable.