Trojan:Android/Tapsnake

Classification

Category:

Malware

Type:

Trojan

Platform:

Android

Aliases:

Trojan:Android/Tapsnake, Android.Tapsnake

Summary

Trojan:AndroidOS/Tapsnake (also identified as Android.Tapsnake) is a spy tool that disguises itself as mobile game. Installation of the trojan requires the user/attacker to have physical access to the target phone.

Removal

Automatic action

Once the scan is complete, the F-Secure security product will ask if you want to uninstall the file, move it to the quarantine or keep it installed on your device.

Manual removal

Trojan:AndroidOS/Tapsnake can be uninstalled by following the steps below:

  • Go to Google Android Menu
  • Go to Settings
  • Go to Applications
  • Select Manage
  • Select the Tap Snake application
  • Click the Uninstall button.

Suspect a file is incorrectly detected (a False Positive)?

A False Positive is when a file is incorrectly detected as harmful, usually because its code or behavior resembles known harmful programs. A False Positive will usually be fixed in a subsequent database update without any action needed on your part. If you wish, you may also:

  • Check for the latest database updates

    First check if your F-Secure security program is using the latest detection database updates, then try scanning the file again.

  • Submit a sample

    After checking, if you still believe the file is incorrectly detected, you can submit a sample of it for re-analysis.

    NOTE If the file was moved to quarantine, you need to collect the file from quarantine before you can submit it.

  • Exclude a file from further scanning

    If you are certain that the file is safe and want to continue using it, you can exclude it from further scanning by the F-Secure security product.

    Note You need administrative rights to change the settings.

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Submit a sample

Submit a file or URL for further analysis.

Technical Details

Once installed, the trojan runs perpetually in the background, constantly reporting the phone's location to a remote server.

This trojan is further discussed in our Labs Weblog:

Installation

This trojan is distributed through the Android Market and is explicitly promoted as a spy program disguised as a mobile game.

The spy program is a commercial application known as GPS SPY.

Once bought, the trojan advises the user to download and install the "Tap Snake game" to the target phone.

Installation also requires the game to be registered with a keycode in order to enable spying.This requires the person installing this program to have physical access to the target phone.

Execution

On execution, the trojan launches a game based on the old (but still popular) game Snake:

In addition to the game, the trojan has two other features. Once installed, the trojan runs silently and continuously in the background, restarting itself automatically if the phone is rebooted.

In addition, the program checks the current location of the phone approximately every 16.67 minutes; the location is acquired thru GPS and/or Network (Cell-ID or Wi-Fi) services.

If the phone has moved at least 250 meters away from the previous location, the program will silently send the information below to a remote server (http://gpsdatapoints.[...]/[...]) via a HTTP post operation:

  • Email address used in registration
  • Location coordinates (latitude and longitude) and the time it was captured

These functionalities are clearly stated in application's resources access list: