• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

 | 

Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

 | 

Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

 | 

SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

 | 

DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

 | 

Stealth backdoor found in WordPress mu-Plugins folder

 | 

U.S. CISA adds CrushFTP, Google Chromium, and SysAid flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

U.S. CISA urges FCEB agencies to fix two Microsoft SharePoint flaws immediately and added them to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Sophos fixed two critical Sophos Firewall vulnerabilities

 | 

French Authorities confirm XSS.is admin arrested in Ukraine

 | 

Microsoft linked attacks on SharePoint flaws to China-nexus actors

 | 

Cisco confirms active exploitation of ISE and ISE-PIC flaws

 | 

SharePoint under fire: new ToolShell attacks target enterprises

 | 

CrushFTP zero-day actively exploited at least since July 18

 | 

Hardcoded credentials found in HPE Aruba Instant On Wi-Fi devices

 | 

MuddyWater deploys new DCHSpy variants amid Iran-Israel conflict

 | 

U.S. CISA urges to immediately patch Microsoft SharePoint flaw adding it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Microsoft issues emergency patches for SharePoint zero-days exploited in "ToolShell" attacks

 | 

SharePoint zero-day CVE-2025-53770 actively exploited in the wild

 | 

Singapore warns China-linked group UNC3886 targets its critical infrastructure

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Malware
  • Security
  • New Android spyware LianSpy relies on Yandex Cloud to avoid detection

New Android spyware LianSpy relies on Yandex Cloud to avoid detection

Pierluigi Paganini August 07, 2024

A previously unknown Android Spyware, dubbed LianSpy, has been targeting Russian users since at least 2021.

In March 2024, cybersecurity researchers from Kaspersky discovered previously unknown Android spyware dubbed LianSpy.

The malware has been active since July 2021, it is designed to capture screencasts, exfiltrate user files, and harvest call logs and app lists. The malware employs various evasion techniques, including using the Russian cloud service Yandex Disk for C2 communications, avoiding dedicated infrastructure to remain undetected.

The spyware is likely deployed through either an unknown vulnerability or direct physical access to the victim’s device.

LianSpy first checks if it has system app status to automatically obtain necessary permissions. If not, it requests permissions for screen overlay, notifications, background activity, contacts, and call logs. Once it has obtained the necessary permissions, it ensures it is not being executed in a controlled environment. If safe, it sets up its configuration with predefined values and stores this information in SharedPreferences for persistence across reboots.

“Once activated, the spyware hides its icon and registers a built-in broadcast receiver to receive intents from the system. This receiver triggers various malicious activities, such as screen capturing via the media projection API, taking screenshots as root, exfiltrating data, and updating its configuration.” reads the report published by Kaspersky. “To update the spyware configuration, LianSpy searches for a file matching the regular expression “^frame_.+\\.png$” on a threat actor’s Yandex Disk every 30 seconds. If found, the file is downloaded to the application’s internal data directory. The spyware then decrypts the overlay (data written after the end of the payload) in the downloaded file with a hardcoded AES key.”

The spyware stores victim data collected in the SQL table Con001, which includes the data type and its SHA-256 hash. The encryption process involves generating an AES key with a secure pseudorandom number generator to prevent timing attacks. This AES key is then encrypted using a hardcoded public RSA key embedded in the spyware. Only someone with the corresponding private RSA key can decrypt the stolen data, ensuring strong protection.

LianSpy supports advanced evasion techniques. It disguises itself as a legitimate app like Alipay or system services and can bypass Android 12’s privacy indicators by modifying settings to hide notification icons. It also hides notifications from background services using NotificationListenerService and suppresses status bar notifications with specific phrases.

LianSpy can capture screenshots stealthily using the screencap command with root access, leaving no trace of malicious activity. It relies on cloud and pastebin services to obscure malicious activity and encrypts exfiltrated data to prevent victim identification, even if cloud credentials are compromised. It also gains root access through a modified su binary, suggesting the use of unknown exploits or physical device access for delivery.

The spyware does not use its infrastructure but relies on Yandex Disk for data exfiltration and storing configuration commands. The communication with its C2 server is unidirectional, with the malware handling update checks and data exfiltration on its own. Yandex Disk credentials can be updated via a hardcoded pastebin URL, which may differ among malware variants, and a list of these URLs is included in the IoC section.

“By exclusively leveraging legitimate platforms like Yandex Disk and pastebin services for data exfiltration and C2 communication, the threat actor has complicated attribution.” concludes the report published by Kaspersky. “This novel Android threat exhibits no overlap with ongoing malware campaigns targeting Russian users, and we will maintain vigilant monitoring for related activities.”

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and Mastodon

Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, malware)


facebook linkedin twitter

Hacking hacking news information security news IT Information Security LianSpy malware Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs Security News

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 25, 2025
Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 25, 2025
Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Koske, a new AI-Generated Linux malware appears in the threat landscape

    Malware / July 25, 2025

    Mitel patches critical MiVoice MX-ONE Auth bypass flaw

    Security / July 25, 2025

    Coyote malware is first-ever malware abusing Windows UI Automation

    Malware / July 24, 2025

    SonicWall fixed critical flaw in SMA 100 devices exploited in Overstep malware attacks

    Security / July 24, 2025

    DSPM & AI Are Booming: $17.87B and $4.8T Markets by 2033

    Security / July 24, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT