Adversaries may access and collect application data resident on the device. Adversaries often target popular applications such as Facebook, WeChat, and Gmail.[1]
This technique requires either escalated privileges or for the targeted app to have stored the data in an insecure manner (e.g., with insecure file permissions or in an insecure location such as an external storage directory).
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0655 | BusyGasper |
BusyGasper can collect data from messaging applications, including WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook.[2] |
| S0529 | CarbonSteal |
CarbonSteal can collect notes and data from the MiCode app.[3] |
| S0505 | Desert Scorpion |
Desert Scorpion can collect account information stored on the device.[4] |
| S0550 | DoubleAgent |
DoubleAgent has accessed browser history, as well as the files for 15 other apps.[3] |
| S0405 | Exodus |
Exodus Two extracts information from Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Gmail, IMO, Skype, Telegram, Viber, WhatsApp, and WeChat.[1] |
| S0509 | FakeSpy |
FakeSpy can collect account information stored on the device, as well as data in external storage.[5] |
| S0408 | FlexiSpy |
FlexiSpy uses a |
| S0577 | FrozenCell |
FrozenCell has retrieved account information for other applications.[7] |
| S0551 | GoldenEagle |
GoldenEagle has extracted messages from chat programs, such as WeChat.[3] |
| S0485 | Mandrake | |
| S0399 | Pallas |
Pallas retrieves messages and decryption keys for popular messaging applications and other accounts stored on the device.[9] |
| S0316 | Pegasus for Android |
Pegasus for Android accesses sensitive data in files, such as messages stored by the WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter applications. It also has the ability to access arbitrary filenames and retrieve directory listings.[10] |
| S0289 | Pegasus for iOS |
Pegasus for iOS accesses sensitive data in files, such as saving Skype calls by reading them out of the Skype database files.[11] |
| S0295 | RCSAndroid |
RCSAndroid can collect contacts and messages from popular applications, including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, Line, WeChat, Hangouts, Telegram, and BlackBerry Messenger.[12] |
| S0327 | Skygofree |
Skygofree has a capability to obtain files from other installed applications.[13] |
| S0324 | SpyDealer |
SpyDealer exfiltrates data from over 40 apps such as WeChat, Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype, and others.[14] |
| S0329 | Tangelo |
Tangelo accesses databases from WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, and Line.[15] |
| ID | Mitigation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M1005 | Application Vetting |
Ensure applications do not store data in an insecure fashion, such as in unprotected external storage, without acknowledging the risk that the data can potentially be accessed or modified by other applications. |
| M1006 | Use Recent OS Version |
Most new versions of mobile operating systems include patches to newly discovered privilege escalation exploits used to root or jailbreak devices. Further, applications that target Android API level 28 or higher on Android 9.0 and above devices have a policy applied that prevents other applications from reading or writing data in their internal storage directories, regardless of file permissions.[16] |
Accessing stored application data can be difficult to detect, and therefore enterprises may be better served focusing on detection at other stages of adversarial behavior.