Cookiethief

The Cookiethief threat is a new Trojan designed to target Android devices. The goal of the Cookiethief Trojan is to collect the user’s cookies. The cookies targeted are stored in the user’s Facebook application and their Web browser. A Trojan collecting cookies may not seem like such a big deal, as most cookies only contain small bits of information regarding settings, but sometimes cookies also can serve as a method of authentication. For example, if the cybercriminals get their hands on your Facebook cookies, they may be able to log into your account provided that they manage to meet certain conditions.

The goal of the authors of the Cookiethief Trojan is to obtain access to users’ Facebook accounts and then use them to spread various schemes to other users. Another possibility is that the attackers may be using the misappropriated accounts to utilize them as ‘social media spam services,’ which can be purchased by other cyber crooks.

One infection vector used in the spreading of the Cookiethief Trojan is a bogus copy of the Roblox game designed for Android devices. The fake variant of the popular game was hosted on third-party application stores. Users are advised to stick to downloading applications and games from the official Google Play Store, although there have been many cases of malware finding its way past Google’s security measures too. According to reports, the Cookiethief Trojan is often accompanied by the Bood backdoor Trojan. The aforementioned Trojan serves to execute commands with administrator privileges, which makes it rather easy for the cyber crooks to plant and execute the Cookiethief Trojan.

Avoid downloading any software from third-party application stores or other platforms. They tend to have insufficient security measures, which are bypassed by cybercriminals easily. Furthermore, make sure to install a genuine anti-virus application compatible with your Android device. Do not forget to update all your software regularly.