Over 14 Million Android Phones Infected with CopyCat Malware

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Android users have once again been exposed to malware, as security company Check Point detected a new form of CopyCat that hit no less than 14 million devices across the world.

Primarily aimed at Asian users, but also infecting devices in other markets like the United States and Canada, CopyCat is specifically going after outdated Android devices, as it exploits vulnerabilities in older versions of the operating system.

Google says it has already banned CopyCat in Play Protect, but it looks like the malware wasn’t downloaded from the Google Play Store anyway, but rather from infected apps published in third-party stores.

Approximately 280,000 Android devices in the United States and another 381,000 in Canada were infected, early statistics show.

CopyCat lands on Android phones as part of apps that are distributed in third-party stores and once it compromises a device, it collects system information and downloads additional malware that can eventually help root the device. This means the cybercriminals get root privileges on the device, bypassing security systems and having full control over the system.