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Software Discovery

ID Name
T1418.001 Security Software Discovery

Adversaries may attempt to get a listing of applications that are installed on a device. Adversaries may use the information from Software Discovery during automated discovery to shape follow-on behaviors, including whether or not to fully infect the target and/or attempts specific actions.

Adversaries may attempt to enumerate applications for a variety of reasons, such as figuring out what security measures are present or to identify the presence of target applications.

ID: T1418
Sub-techniques:  T1418.001
Tactic Type: Post-Adversary Device Access
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Tactic: Discovery
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Platforms: Android, iOS
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MTC ID: APP-12
Version: 2.1
Created: 25 October 2017
Last Modified: 20 March 2023
Version Permalink

Procedure Examples

ID Name Description
S1061 AbstractEmu

AbstractEmu can obtain a list of installed applications.[1]
S0440 Agent Smith

Agent Smith obtains the device’s application list.[2]
S0525 Android/AdDisplay.Ashas

Android/AdDisplay.Ashas has checked to see how many apps are installed, and specifically if Facebook or FB Messenger are installed.[3]
S0422 Anubis

Anubis can collect a list of installed applications to compare to a list of targeted applications.[4]
S1079 BOULDSPY

BOULDSPY can retrieve the list of installed applications.[5]
C0033 C0033

During C0033, PROMETHIUM used StrongPity to obtain a list of installed applications.[6]

S0529 CarbonSteal

CarbonSteal has looked for specific applications, such as MiCode.[7]
S0480 Cerberus

Cerberus can obtain a list of installed applications.[8]
S1083 Chameleon

Chameleon can read the name of application packages.[9]
S0479 DEFENSOR ID

DEFENSOR ID can retrieve a list of installed applications.[10]
S0505 Desert Scorpion

Desert Scorpion can obtain a list of installed applications.[11]
S0550 DoubleAgent

DoubleAgent has accessed the list of installed apps.[7]
S0478 EventBot

EventBot can collect a list of installed applications.[12]
S0405 Exodus

Exodus Two can obtain a list of installed applications.[13]

S0509 FakeSpy

FakeSpy can collect a list of installed applications.[14]
S0408 FlexiSpy

FlexiSpy can retrieve a list of installed applications.[15]

S0423 Ginp

Ginp can obtain a list of installed applications.[16]
S0535 Golden Cup

Golden Cup can obtain a list of installed applications.[17]
S0551 GoldenEagle

GoldenEagle has collected a list of installed application names.[7]
S0421 GolfSpy

GolfSpy can obtain a list of installed applications.[18]
S0536 GPlayed

GPlayed can collect a list of installed applications.[19]
S0544 HenBox

HenBox can obtain a list of running apps.[20]
S1077 Hornbill

Hornbill can search for installed applications such as WhatsApp.[21]

S0463 INSOMNIA

INSOMNIA can obtain a list of installed non-Apple applications.[22]
S0485 Mandrake

Mandrake can obtain a list of installed applications.[23]
S0407 Monokle

Monokle can list applications installed on the device.[24]
S0399 Pallas

Pallas retrieves a list of all applications installed on the device.[25]
S0316 Pegasus for Android

Pegasus for Android accesses the list of installed applications.[26]
S0539 Red Alert 2.0

Red Alert 2.0 can obtain the running application.[27]
S0403 Riltok

Riltok can retrieve a list of installed applications. Installed application names are then checked against an adversary-defined list of targeted applications.[28]
S0411 Rotexy

Rotexy retrieves a list of installed applications and sends it to the command and control server.[29]
S1062 S.O.V.A.

S.O.V.A. can search for installed applications that match a list of targets.[30]
S0328 Stealth Mango

Stealth Mango uploads information about installed packages.[31]
S1082 Sunbird

Sunbird can exfiltrate a list of installed applications.[21]
S1069 TangleBot

TangleBot can obtain a list of installed applications.[32]
S0545 TERRACOTTA

TERRACOTTA can obtain a list of installed apps.[33]
S0558 Tiktok Pro

Tiktok Pro can obtain a list of installed applications.[34]
S0424 Triada

Triada is able to modify code within the com.android.systemui application to gain access to GET_REAL_TASKS permissions. This permission enables access to information about applications currently on the foreground and other recently used apps.[35]

S0427 TrickMo

TrickMo can collect a list of installed applications.[36]
S0418 ViceLeaker

ViceLeaker can obtain a list of installed applications.[37]
S0489 WolfRAT

WolfRAT can obtain a list of installed applications.[38]
S0311 YiSpecter

YiSpecter has collected information about installed applications.[39]

Mitigations

ID Mitigation Description
M1006 Use Recent OS Version

Android 11 introduced privacy enhancements to package visibility, filtering results that are returned from the package manager. iOS 12 removed the private API that could previously be used to list installed applications on non-app store applications.[40]
M1011 User Guidance

iOS users should be instructed to not download applications from unofficial sources, as applications distributed via the Apple App Store cannot list installed applications on a device.

Detection

ID Data Source Data Component Detects
DS0041 Application Vetting API Calls

Application vetting services could look for the Android permission android.permission.QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES, and apply extra scrutiny to applications that request it. On iOS, application vetting services could look for usage of the private API LSApplicationWorkspace and apply extra scrutiny to applications that employ it.

References

  1. P Shunk, K Balaam. (2021, October 28). Rooting Malware Makes a Comeback: Lookout Discovers Global Campaign. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  2. A. Hazum, F. He, I. Marom, B. Melnykov, A. Polkovnichenko. (2019, July 10). Agent Smith: A New Species of Mobile Malware. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  3. L. Stefanko. (2019, October 24). Tracking down the developer of Android adware affecting millions of users. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. M. Feller. (2020, February 5). Infostealer, Keylogger, and Ransomware in One: Anubis Targets More than 250 Android Applications. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  5. Kyle Schmittle, Alemdar Islamoglu, Paul Shunk, Justin Albrecht. (2023, April 27). Lookout Discovers Android Spyware Tied to Iranian Police Targeting Minorities: BouldSpy. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  6. Stefanko, L. (2023, January 10). StrongPity espionage campaign targeting Android users. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  7. A. Kumar, K. Del Rosso, J. Albrecht, C. Hebeisen. (2020, June 1). Mobile APT Surveillance Campaigns Targeting Uyghurs - A collection of long-running Android tooling connected to a Chinese mAPT actor. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  8. Threat Fabric. (2019, August). Cerberus - A new banking Trojan from the underworld. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  9. Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs. (2023, April 13). Banking Trojan targeting mobile users in Australia and Poland. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  10. L. Stefanko. (2020, May 22). Insidious Android malware gives up all malicious features but one to gain stealth. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  11. A. Blaich, M. Flossman. (2018, April 16). Lookout finds new surveillanceware in Google Play with ties to known threat actor targeting the Middle East. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  12. D. Frank, L. Rochberger, Y. Rimmer, A. Dahan. (2020, April 30). EventBot: A New Mobile Banking Trojan is Born. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  13. Security Without Borders. (2019, March 29). Exodus: New Android Spyware Made in Italy. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  14. O. Almkias. (2020, July 1). FakeSpy Masquerades as Postal Service Apps Around the World. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  15. FlexiSpy. (n.d.). FlexiSpy Monitoring Features. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  16. ThreatFabric. (2019, November). Ginp - A malware patchwork borrowing from Anubis. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  17. R. Iarchy, E. Rynkowski. (2018, July 5). GoldenCup: New Cyber Threat Targeting World Cup Fans. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  18. E. Xu, G. Guo. (2019, June 28). Mobile Cyberespionage Campaign ‘Bouncing Golf’ Affects Middle East. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  19. V. Ventura. (2018, October 11). GPlayed Trojan - .Net playing with Google Market . Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  20. A. Hinchliffe, M. Harbison, J. Miller-Osborn, et al. (2018, March 13). HenBox: The Chickens Come Home to Roost. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  1. Apurva Kumar, Kristin Del Rosso. (2021, February 10). Novel Confucius APT Android Spyware Linked to India-Pakistan Conflict. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  2. I. Beer. (2019, August 29). Implant Teardown. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  3. R. Gevers, M. Tivadar, R. Bleotu, A. M. Barbatei, et al.. (2020, May 14). Uprooting Mandrake: The Story of an Advanced Android Spyware Framework That Went Undetected for 4 Years. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  4. Bauer A., Kumar A., Hebeisen C., et al. (2019, July). Monokle: The Mobile Surveillance Tooling of the Special Technology Center. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  5. Blaich, A., et al. (2018, January 18). Dark Caracal: Cyber-espionage at a Global Scale. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  6. Mike Murray. (2017, April 3). Pegasus for Android: the other side of the story emerges. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  7. J. Chandraiah. (2018, July 23). Red Alert 2.0: Android Trojan targets security-seekers. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  8. Tatyana Shishkova. (2019, June 25). Riltok mobile Trojan: A banker with global reach. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  9. T. Shishkova, L. Pikman. (2018, November 22). The Rotexy mobile Trojan – banker and ransomware. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  10. Francesco Lubatti, Federico Valentini. (2022, November 8). SOVA malware is back and is evolving rapidly. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  11. Lookout. (n.d.). Stealth Mango & Tangelo. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  12. Felipe Naves, Andrew Conway, W. Stuart Jones, Adam McNeil . (2021, September 23). TangleBot: New Advanced SMS Malware Targets Mobile Users Across U.S. and Canada with COVID-19 Lures. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  13. Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team. (2020, August). TERRACOTTA Android Malware: A Technical Study. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  14. S. Desai. (2020, September 8). TikTok Spyware. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  15. Lukasz Siewierski. (2019, June 6). PHA Family Highlights: Triada. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  16. P. Asinovsky. (2020, March 24). TrickBot Pushing a 2FA Bypass App to Bank Customers in Germany. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  17. GReAT. (2019, June 26). ViceLeaker Operation: mobile espionage targeting Middle East. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  18. W. Mercer, P. Rascagneres, V. Ventura. (2020, May 19). The wolf is back... . Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  19. Claud Xiao. (2015, October 4). YiSpecter: First iOS Malware That Attacks Non-jailbroken Apple iOS Devices by Abusing Private APIs. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  20. Google. (n.d.). Package visibility filtering on Android. Retrieved April 11, 2022.