New Windows malware tries to infect Android devices connected to PCs

A new computer Trojan program attempts to install mobile banking malware on Android devices when they’re connected to infected PCs, according to researchers from Symantec.

This method of targeting Android devices is unusual, since mobile attackers prefer social engineering and fake apps hosted on third-party app stores to distribute Android malware.

“We’ve seen Android malware that attempts to infect Windows systems before,” Symantec researcher Flora Liu, said Thursday in a blog post. “Android.Claco, for instance, downloads a malicious PE [portable executable] file along with an autorun.inf file and places them in the root directory of the SD card. When the compromised mobile device is connected to a computer in USB mode, and if the AutoRun feature is enabled on the computer, Windows will automatically execute the malicious PE file.”

Read more...