A spyware believed to have been released by the same group behind iOs worst malware Pegasus can uninstall itself when at risk of being detected.
According to the Daily Mail, security research teams from Google and Lookout have warned Android users against a spyware called Chrysaor, a version of Pegasus which was believed to have been used to target human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor in the United Arab Emirates.
Chrysaor can spy on users via their smartphone camera and microphone. It can also access Android users' messages, emails, contact details, browsing history, and more.
This spyware is designed to uninstall itself if it thinks it has been spotted.
The name was derived from a Greek mythological character referring to the brother of the winged horse Pegasus.
Researchers believe that a highly-secretive Israeli organization called the NSO Group is behind it. It is the same group that released Pegasus on iOS.
The NSO Group, which specializes in cyber war, was acquired by U.S. company Francisco Partners Management in 2010.
According to The Independent, another thing that is unusual about Chrysaor is that it was not designed to attack as many people as possible. Moreover, it is not downloadable from Google Play and has only been discovered on less than three dozen devices.
"A few [potentially harmful application] authors spend substantial effort, time, and money to create and install their harmful app on one or a very small number of devices," Google stated in a blog post.
According to Google, there is a likelihood that most users are unaffected by Chrysaor, but it is advisable for users to protect themselves by only installing apps from reputable sources.