Exodus the Spyware that Passed as an iOS App

It is known as the world and tech has evolved, so is the industry of digital surveillance and hacking tools had too. A lot of malware has attacked governments, local law enforcement, and companies. That is the case of the spyware that was first found on the Google Play Store, has after targeted iOS app. Data has been published by the nonprofit Security Without Brothers, about details of the Android version of the malware, at the end of March. Now, the spyware known as Exodus has an iOS version. This iOS version of Exodus is built to look like a mobile carrier support application, and it’s using all the mechanism to collect as much data as possible.

Exodus had the perfect hiding

We don’t know if Exodus was targeting a specific thing, but through the year, the researchers observed the spyware was trapping direct users through the malicious apps. The method was thought like simple information pages for mobile that redirected you to Google Play Store or Apple for the download of apps. Those sites had the base in Italy and Turkmenistan. It was simple to introduce the app through Android, but with Apple Store, they couldn’t. So using Apple’s Developer Enterprise Program, they bought a certificate for enterprise distribution. It only cost $300 and gave them the best approach to spread iOS malware.

What is Exodus Doing to Your Device?

After you installed Exodus, the spyware could access your photos, videos, device IDs, contacts, audio records, and also can track your location and can listen to your conversations through your device’s microphone. After the companies have found out about the malware, both Android and iOS versions of Exodus have been blocked.

Moreover, the Lookout researchers say that the ones that developed Exodus for Android had done five years’ work. On the Android version, the malware had three phases to gain deep access: the foothold establishment, after installing surveillance capability, and the last one, gaining root access to the device. On the other hand, on the iOS version, they count on users for unintentional permission.

Finally, users must take precautions and try to avoid those kinds of spyware like Exodus, by not accessing the links, stay strictly to the app store like Google Play Store or Apple Store.