CopyCat Malware Infected 14 Million Outdated Android Services

SAN FRANCISCO – A new strain of a malware called CopyCat has infected more than 14 million Android devices around the world, rooting phones and hijacking apps to make millions in fraudulent ad revenue, researchers at Check Point said Thursday.

While the majority of victims are in Asia, more than 280,000 Android devices in the US were hit by the massive hack. Google had been tracking the malware for the last two years and has updated Play Protect to block CopyCat, but millions of victims are getting hit through third-party app downloads and phishing attacks.

There was no evidence that CopyCat was distributed on Google Play, according to Check Point.

“Play Protect secures users from the family, and any apps that may have been infected with CopyCat were not distributed via Play,” Google said in a statement.

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