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SimBad

SimBad was a strain of adware on the Google Play Store, distributed through the RXDroider Software Development Kit. The name "SimBad" was derived from the fact that most of the infected applications were simulator games. The adware was controlled using an instance of the open source framework Parse Server.[1]

ID: S0419
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Type: MALWARE
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Platforms: Android
Version: 1.0
Created: 21 November 2019
Last Modified: 25 April 2025
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Mobile Layer
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Techniques Used

Domain ID Name Use
Mobile T1624 .001 Event Triggered Execution: Broadcast Receivers

SimBad registers for the BOOT_COMPLETED and USER_PRESENT broadcast intents, which allows the software to perform actions after the device is booted and when the user is using the device, respectively.[1]
Mobile T1643 Generate Traffic from Victim

SimBad generates fraudulent advertising revenue by displaying ads in the background and by opening the browser and displaying ads.[1]
Mobile T1628 .001 Hide Artifacts: Suppress Application Icon

SimBad hides its icon from the application launcher.[1]
Mobile T1655 .001 Masquerading: Match Legitimate Name or Location

SimBad was embedded into legitimate applications.[1]

References

  1. Elena Root, Andrey Polkovnichenko. (2019, March 13). SimBad: A Rogue Adware Campaign On Google Play. Retrieved November 21, 2019.