🛡 New Threat to Cryptocurrency Holders: Kaspersky Warns of Apps Scanning Seed Phrases
🚨 Kaspersky, a Russian cybersecurity firm, has raised alarms about a new threat targeting cryptocurrency holders. The firm revealed that several apps in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store contain components capable of scanning images for cryptocurrency seed phrases.
📱 The malware, known as Sparkcat, utilizes optical character recognition (OCR) software to read data from images and convert it into text. It specifically searches for mnemonics—the words that make up seed phrases used for backing up and recovering private keys.
🔍 Kaspersky noted that Sparkcat employs obfuscation techniques to evade detection by security tools. The permissions requested by these apps often resemble those of legitimate applications, providing little indication of their malicious nature.
🛑 Among the apps identified was Chatai, which disguised itself as an artificial intelligence (AI) prompt. This app, along with several others related to food delivery services and AI chats, was found to carry the malware payload and had been available in app stores since late 2024.
📊 Kaspersky identified 18 infected Android apps and 10 iOS apps, many of which are still accessible in these stores. These malicious applications have been downloaded over 242,000 times, putting users at risk of having their cryptocurrency wallets compromised.
⚠️ The cybersecurity firm advised users to immediately uninstall the affected apps before a patch is released to remove the scanning functionality. Kaspersky emphasized the importance of not storing sensitive information in the gallery, including recovery phrases for cryptocurrency wallets. Instead, it recommended using specialized applications for storing passwords and confidential documents.
💔 While Kaspersky acknowledged that individuals have been affected by this software, it did not provide specific figures regarding the losses incurred.
