The number of organizations whose customers are targeted by the Android banking Trojan known as “Marcher” has increased considerably over the past period, but PhishLabs researchers said the latest samples they have analyzed don’t target the United States.
Marcher, a threat offered on Russian underground forums since late 2013, currently retails for roughly $5,000. The malware initially focused on banks in Germany, but the list of targets was later expanded to include France, Poland, Turkey, the United States, Australia, Spain, Austria and others.
IBM Security reported in early June that nine major banks in the United Kingdom had also been added to the list of targets. Samples analyzed by PhishLabs this month target the customers of 66 companies, including 62 banks, Google email services and PayPal.
IBM reported earlier this month that the United States was the sixth most targeted country, but PhishLabs said on Thursday that the latest Marcher samples it has analyzed don’t target the U.S.
“Because the malware can be customized for each individual actor, it is possible that other Marcher samples may include different targets and regions. Expanded targeting seems likely in future based upon this capability,” PhishLabs researchers explained.
Depending on the cybercrime group that is using it, Marcher can be delivered via SMS messages, mobile adware, social media websites or spam emails. The newest samples analyzed by PhishLabs have been distributed as Adobe Flash Player installers.
Similar to GM Bot and other Android banking Trojans, Marcher has been using custom overlay screens to steal information from victims. While the Trojan has mostly targeted banking applications, it’s also capable of stealing user data from airline, payment, e-commerce and direct marketing apps.
IBM Security researchers spotted the malware displaying phishing pages not just when the victim opens one of the targeted mobile apps, but also on top of financial websites when they are accessed through a web browser.
Another interesting Marcher feature is that cybercriminals can send out SMS messages to get victims to immediately open the targeted banking applications. This allows them to launch attacks more quickly without having to wait for victims to open the apps on their own initiative.
