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Cyber Risks · Unit 42 Palo Alto Networks

Threat Brief: Patch Today and Don’t Get Burned by an Android Toast Overlay

Summary: Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 researchers disclosed a high-severity vulnerability in Google's Android platform, patched in the September 2017 Android Security Bulletin, that affects all Android versions prior to 8.0 Oreo. The flaw lets a malicious app carry out an overlay attack using Android's Toast notification window, which requires fewer permissions than other window types, so the app can overlay the entire screen simply by being installed.

Bottom line: Unit 42 says it is not aware of active attacks against this specific vulnerability, but the technique can grant malware full administrator permissions, brick a device, or install ransomware and information stealers - and because Android 8.0 is a recent release, nearly all Android users are on vulnerable versions.

Read the original at Unit 42 Palo Alto Networks ↗

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Malware
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