Security vendor Check Point has revealed the existence of a new strain of malware dubbed CopyCat that has infected at least 14 million Android devices and rooted 8 million devices. CopyCat earns money for attackers through an online ad fraud scheme and by obtaining affiliate payments for installing apps not authorized by users. It generated at least $1.5 million in a two-month period.
“We called it [CopyCat] because it takes credit for installations it didn’t initiate, which is the big technological innovation it presents,” said Daniel Padon, mobile threat researcher at Check Point.
The malware affected approximately 280,000 people in the U.S.