Researchers at SlowMist describe a phishing campaign that’s distributing a phony version of Skype in order to steal cryptocurrency, Cointelegraph reports. The malicious app was likely developed by Chinese cybercriminals.

“We noticed that the signature information of this fake app is quite simple, almost empty, and both the owner and publisher are labeled as ‘CN,’” SlowMist’s researchers explain.

"Based on this information, we preliminarily deduced that the phishing production gang is likely Chinese. Also, from the certificate’s effective date of September 11, 2023, we inferred that this app was not created long ago. Further analysis revealed that the fake app uses version 8.87.0.403, while the latest version of Skype is 8.107.0.215. Using Baidu search, we found multiple sources of the same fake Skype version, with signature information consistent with that provided by the victim.”

Cointelegraph notes that the phishing campaign is probably targeting users in China who are searching for third-party versions of apps like Skype that are banned in the country.

“Common behaviors of fake apps include uploading files and images from the phone, uploading data that may contain sensitive user information, and maliciously replacing network transmission content, like altering the destination address of wallet transfers, as seen in this case,” SlowMist says. “Such tactics are not uncommon in fake Telegram and fake exchange apps.”

SlowMist warns users to be wary of apps downloaded from third-party websites.

“Users need to be more cautious when downloading and using apps, sticking to official download channels to avoid downloading malicious apps and suffering financial losses,” the researchers conclude. “In the blockchain’s ‘dark forest’ world, users must continuously enhance their security awareness to avoid being deceived.”

KnowBe4 enables your workforce to make smarter security decisions every day. Over 65,000 organizations worldwide trust the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.

Cointelegraph has the story.