Cybercriminals use\u00a0progressive web applications (PWA) to impersonate banking apps and steal credentials from mobile users.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
ESET researchers detailed a phishing campaign against mobile users that uses Progressive Web Applications (PWAs). The threat actors used fake apps almost indistinguishable from real banking apps on both iOS and Android. The technique was first disclosed in Poland in July 2023 and later observed in Czechia and other countries like Hungary and Georgia.
The campaign used\u00a0progressive web applications to impersonate banking apps and steal credentials from Android and iOS users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phishing websites targeting iOS instruct victims to add a Progressive Web Application (PWA) to their home screens, while on Android, the PWA is installed after confirming custom pop-ups in the browser. The technique was first disclosed<\/a> in Poland in July 2023 and later observed in Czechia by ESET researchers, with additional cases targeting banks in Hungary and Georgia.
“Insidiously, installing a PWA\/WebAPK application does not warn the victim about installing a third-party application. On Android, these phishing WebAPKs even appear to have been installed from the Google Play store.” reads the report<\/strong><\/a> published by ESET. “Most of the observed applications targeted clients of Czech banks, but we also observed one phishing app that targeted a Hungarian bank and another targeting a Georgian bank.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"progressive](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/securityaffairs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/image-34.png?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAttackers attempt to trick victims into installing a fake “new version” of their banking app. Depending on the campaign, clicking the install\/update button triggers the installation of a malicious app directly on the victim’s phone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Android users, this can be a WebAPK, while for both iOS and Android users, it may be a Progressive Web Application (PWA). The installation process doesn’t trigger browser warnings about unknown apps, exploiting Chrome’s WebAPK technology. iOS users are displayed a pop-up mimicking native prompts to add the phishing PWA to their home screen, without any warnings. Upon installing the apps, victims are asked to input their banking credentials, which are then sent to the C2 servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The experts noticed that the campaigns used two distinct C2 infrastructures, suggesting that two dinstict groups were operating the PWA\/WebAPK phishing campaigns against Czech\u00a0and other banks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One group used a Telegram bot to log entered information into a Telegram group chat via the official API, while another group employed a traditional C2 server with an administrative panel, which is associated with an NGate Android malware campaign<\/a>.
“We identified a novel method of phishing, combining well-established methods of social engineering along with the cross-platform technology of PWA applications. Cases targeting Android users, specifically via a copycat page of the targeted app\u2019s Google Play store page and using WebAPK technology, were also found. Most of the known cases have been inside Czechia, with only two phishing applications appearing outside of this region (in Hungary and Georgia).” concludes the report<\/a> published by ESET. “We expect more copycat applications to be created and distributed, since after installation it is difficult to separate the legitimate apps from the phishing ones.”<\/em>
Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs<\/strong><\/a> and Facebook<\/strong><\/a> and Mastodon<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pierluigi Paganini<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
(<\/strong>SecurityAffairs<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013<\/strong>\u00a0hacking, progressive web applications (PWA))<\/strong>