How to Protect Android Apps Against MysteryBot Malware

Learn how to detect and protect against MysteryBot Android malware in Android apps using Appdome’s no-code unified mobile app defense platform.

What is MysteryBot?

MysteryBot is an Android banking trojan that targets users in Europe and North America. It spreads through malicious apps and phishing links, often disguised as legitimate applications. Once installed, it abuses Android’s accessibility services to perform overlay attacks, stealing sensitive financial information like login credentials and credit card details. It also intercepts SMS messages, including multi-factor authentication (MFA) codes, allowing attackers to bypass security measures and execute Account Takeovers (ATOs).

In addition to these financial fraud capabilities, MysteryBot also has ransomware-like functionality. By locking the device through accessibility services, it can prevent users from accessing their phones and demand a ransom for its release. This combination of banking trojan and ransomware features makes MysteryBot a versatile and dangerous threat to mobile users.

How Does Appdome Protect Against MysteryBot?

Taking all the above into consideration, you can use Appdome to protect against MysteryBot using a combination of the following protection methods:

• RASP – Prevents MysteryBot from injecting itself into installed apps and repackaging them. Also includes anti-tampering, anti-debugging, anti-emulator, and other protections against dynamic attacks at runtime.
• Code Obfuscation – Protects against decompiling and malicious reverse engineering.
• Root Detection – Protects mobile apps from running on rooted devices, which bypass Android’s security controls. Rooting exposes apps to tampering, data theft, and malware by giving attackers elevated access to system files and app data.
• Block App Overlay Attacks – Detects and prevents fake/malicious screen overlays from displaying on top of the app screen and concealing the legitimate app screen. Mobile malware and Trojans like MysteryBot use overlay attacks to trick users into revealing sensitive information or performing harmful actions inadvertently.
• Keylogging Prevention – Prevents the use of malicious keyloggers which may be used to intercept two-factor authentication codes or harvest sensitive information.
• Prevent Accessibility Services Malware – Prevents malicious actions taken by malware that exploit Android’s AccessibilityService, which when abused can be used to intercept sensitive inputs like passwords and 2FA codes, take screenshots, and simulate user actions such as taps and swipes. This allows attackers to manipulate apps, steal data, impersonate the real user, or perform fraudulent transactions without the user’s knowledge.
• Google Play Store Signature Validation – Protects against fake apps, clones, masquerading, which malware often do to trick users into performing harmful actions.

Each of the protections above are linked to the relevant knowledge base article for that feature, which provide detailed information about each feature and also explain how to implement the protection in your Android app.

Prerequisites

To use Appdome’s to protect Android apps against MysteryBot, you’ll need the following:

• Appdome account (create a free Appdome account here)
• A license for the relevant features mentioned above.
• Mobile App (.apk or .aab for Android)
• Signing Credentials (see Signing Secure Android apps).

Related Articles:

• How to Protect Android Apps Against CraxsRAT Malware
• How to Protect Android Apps Against FjordPhantom Malware
• How to Protect Android Apps Against Panda Malware
• How to Protect Android Apps Against Brokewell Malware
• How to Protect Android Apps Against Hiddad Malware

If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.

Thank you!

Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.