Malware Alert: Mania SMS Trojan Targets Android Smartphones

If you own an Android smartphone, then you might remember that SMS Trojan called Foncy that spread like wildfire back in September last year. Foncy has since faded out into obscurity, but another Trojan has stepped up to the plate to take its place: Mania.

Functioning in a similar fashion, Mania is currently infecting Android smartphones owned by users who are based in France. The Trojan has yet to make its way outside of Europe, but let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that it doesn't cross over anytime soon.

Mania was first discovered last January, and new variants of the malware have since appeared in the succeeding months. No traces of it have been found on Google Play, but Mania has been found to spread as an embedded file in legitimate apps such as PhoneLocator Pro, BlackList Pro, Enhanced SMS and Caller ID, CoPilot Live Europe, Settings Profiles Full, Advanced Call Blocker and Kaspersky Mobile Security.

Once launched, the malware goes right to work and sends off text messages to a premium service.

If a user launches one of these applications it will immediately try to send seven SMS messages to the French premium rate number 84242. The text of the message differs from variant to variant, but all in all there are three of them: MANIA, TEL and QUIZ.

-- Denis Maslennikov, Kaspersky Lab Expert

If you're thinking of downloading any of these apps anytime soon, make sure to double-check the authenticity of the file and avoid downloading apps from third-party sites.