Inside FireScam : An Information Stealer with Spyware Capabilities
- FireScam is an information stealing malware with spyware capabilities. It is distributed as a fake ‘Telegram Premium’ APK via a phishing website hosted on the GitHub.io domain, mimicking the RuStore app store. The phishing website delivers a dropper that installs the FireScam malware disguised as the Telegram Premium application. The malware exfiltrates sensitive data, including notifications, messages, and other app data, to a Firebase Realtime Database endpoint. FireScam monitors device activities such as screen state changes, e-commerce transactions, clipboard activity, and user engagement to gather valuable information covertly. Captures notifications across various apps, including system apps, to potentially steal sensitive information and track user activities. It employs obfuscation techniques to hide its intent and evade detection by security tools and researchers. FireScam performs checks to identify if it is running in an analysis or virtualized environment. The malware leverages Firebase for command-and-control communication, data storage, and to deliver additional malicious payloads. Exfiltrated data is temporarily stored in the Firebase Realtime Database, filtered for valuable content, and later removed. The Firebase database reveals potential Telegram IDs linked to the threat actors and contains URLs to other malware specimens hosted on the phishing site. By exploiting the popularity of messaging apps and other widely used applications, FireScam poses a significant threat to individuals and organizations worldwide.
