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SMS-Spoofed ‘RedAlert’ Clone Is Spying on Israeli Users, CloudSEK Finds

Researchers detail a sideloaded Android spyware loader that harvests messages and location data under the guise of legitimate rocket warnings.

Overview

  • Attackers are sending phony texts that mimic Home Front Command notices to push a fake update outside the Google Play Store.
  • The lookalike app continues to display genuine alerts while a surveillance payload runs in the background to avoid raising suspicion.
  • The malware requests high‑risk permissions for SMS, contacts and precise GPS, enabling data theft and potential two‑factor code interception.
  • CloudSEK reports advanced evasion, including spoofed signing and installer data, reflection and proxy hooks, and a three‑stage loader that conceals embedded payloads.
  • Exfiltrated data is posted to api.ra-backup[.]com over infrastructure hosted on AWS and proxied via Cloudflare, and defenders are urged to isolate devices, revoke admin rights, factory‑reset and block malicious domains.