Hackers Disguise Android Malware As ChatGPT Apps, Putting Users At Risk: Report – News18

Researchers have noticed a surge of malware written for the Android platform that’s making an attempt to impersonate the favored AI chatbot ChatGPT software to focus on smartphone customers, a brand new report confirmed on Friday.

According to researchers from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, these malware variants emerged together with the discharge by OpenAI of GPT-3.5, adopted by GPT-4, infecting victims serious about utilizing the ChatGPT software.

Researchers have discovered two varieties of lively malware — one is a Meterpreter Trojan disguised as a “SuperGPT” app, and the other is a “ChatGPT” app that sends messages to premium-rate numbers in Thailand.

Moreover, the report talked about that the researchers uncovered a malicious Android Package Kit (APK) pattern, which turned out to be a Trojanised model of a authentic software.

The authentic software is an AI assistant constructed on the latest model of ChatGPT. If exploitation is profitable, the malicious model of this software permits the actor to realize distant entry to an Android system.

Another cluster of APK malware samples was additionally found by the researchers. On the floor, the malware seems to be displaying a webpage with an outline of ChatGPT. However, this risk hides a sinister intent beneath it, in response to the report.

In addition, all of those APK samples use the OpenAI emblem, which is often related to ChatGPT, as their software icon, including to the misleading narrative that this software is related to the ChatGPT AI software.

These APK malware samples are able to sending SMS messages to premium-rate numbers in Thailand.

Premium-rate numbers value greater than common cellphone numbers and are utilized in alternate for some form of service (e.g., customers offering info).

The enterprise behind it collects the earnings, however this may also be abused to conduct scams and fraudulent exercise, the report stated.

(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated news company feed – IANS)