Rare malware mimics Uber Android app to gain access to user accounts

The researchers at Symantec have discovered a malware that sneakily spoofs into the Uber Android app and harvests the passwords of the user accounts. The malware also lets hackers take advantage of the affected user accounts. However, it is claimed that this malware is not widespread and most Uber users are not affected by it.

To steal the login information of the user, the malware is claimed to pop up on the screen regularly and prompt the user to enter the Uber username and password. Once the user falls for it and enters his or her login credentials, the malware will make the details prone to the attackers. To cover by the theft, this malware uses deep links to the legitimate Uber app and prompt it to display the current location of the user and make it appear as though the user is actually accessing the genuine app and not the fake one.

The deep linking routes the user to a specific content within the app. Symantec as found that the attackers have used deep links to pull the actual location information of the users from Uber. Displaying a screen of the genuine app showing the current information of the user will not arouse any suspicion.

Though the malware has been discovered, the team at Symantec states that a majority of the Uber users are not at prone to this risk. The malware tries to pass itself as the original Uber app but it is not available in the Google Play Store. So, users have to download it from another source that is usually not the case.

A spokesperson at Symantec states that users of Uber in Russian-speaking countries are likely limited in number so the widespread distribution of this malware is not possible. However, this malware attacking the Uber Android app is a good reminder for the users to stay away from downloading apps from untrusted sources. It is always a safe practice to download apps only from the Google Play Store as it will be free from malicious apps.

Regarding this malware, Uber has stated that consumers should download only the legitimate apps from the trusted sources. The cab-hailing service has also stated that they will protect their users even if there has been a mishap through their security controls and systems those are meant to help detect and block the unauthorized attempts of login if the users happen to give away their login credentials accidentally.