A new malware that is being deployed by the Chinese hacking group APT 41 monitors SMS traffic and other mobile information en masse and is being used against telecommunications firms to target specific customer phone numbers.
The malware, called MessageTap, has been used in cyberespionage and financially motivated attacks, reported FireEye. MessageTap was first revealed earlier this year during an investigation of a telecommunication’s network provider working from a cluster of Linux Short Message Service Center (SMSC) servers. These are responsible for routing and storing SMS messages, which makes them a perfect target from which to cull sensitive data, said FireEye researchers Raymond Leong, Dan Perez and Tyler Dean said in a recent report.
FireEye said four unnamed telecoms were targeted by APT 41 with MessageTap and another four were hit by a separate threat group with suspected ties to Chinese state-sponsored associations.
“Beyond telecommunication organizations, other client verticals that possess sensitive records related to specific individuals of interest, such as major travel services and healthcare providers, were also targeted by A ..
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