Hackers have managed to modify the apps of the British satellite TV provider Sky and upload them to the download store Google Play. The Syrian Electronic Army appears to be behind the hack. It is still unclear how the hackers gained access to the apps.
The hacked Android apps recently appeared in Google Play but have since been taken offline by Sky, so report various media, including The Desk. The British media company confirmed the hack via Twitter. The company claims that its Sky News and Sky+ apps have been hacked and replaced, among other things. The hacked apps showed images of the Syrian Electronic Army and, moreover, the description of the apps showed the text ‘Syrian Electronic Army Was Here’.
It is still unclear how the hackers, who allegedly sided with the Assad regime and claim to attack Western media outlets that reported “false reports” about the civil war in Syria, gained access to the apps and modified them. It does seem plausible that access has been gained to an admin system from Sky from which the apps were managed. Then a modified version was created and uploaded to Play, which was not noticed by Google.
Google has a lot of problems with malware with Android; For example, hackers try to upload apps that secretly steal personal or financial data. The internet giant has been trying to improve its malware detection lately, but it’s unclear what security mechanisms are built in to distinguish purposely modified versions of legitimate apps.