A new spyware, dubbed NoviSpy, has been discovered exploiting a series of Qualcomm zero-day vulnerabilities to infect Android devices. This malware is primarily used to spy on journalists, activists, and dissidents, and it has been traced back to the Serbian government. The spyware exploits vulnerabilities, including CVE-2024-43047, in Qualcomm’s Digital Signal Processor (DSP) driver, which powers multimedia functions on many Android devices. These flaws were actively exploited in 2024, with the attacks primarily targeting individuals critical of the government.
The initial discovery of NoviSpy occurred when Serbian journalist Slaviša Milanov noticed his phone behaving abnormally after being in police custody. Upon further investigation by Amnesty International’s Security Lab, it was revealed that NoviSpy was installed on Milanov’s device, likely using a zero-click attack exploiting Android’s Voice-over-WiFi and Voice-over-LTE features. This method allowed the malware to gain access without the victim’s interaction, highlighting the severity of the exploit chain.
Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) collaborated with researchers to uncover the root cause of the spyware’s ability to bypass Android’s security measures. The spyware’s payload was found to persist at the kernel level, making it difficult to detect and remove. This exploit chain involved multiple vulnerabilities, including a use-after-free issue and race conditions in Qualcomm’s FastRPC driver, which handles communication between Android’s kernel and DSP.
While the Serbian government is suspected of deploying NoviSpy, forensic evidence suggests the spyware has affected many Android devices in the country over the last few years. The spyware’s communications were traced to servers linked to Serbia’s Security Information Agency (BIA), suggesting a coordinated effort to monitor dissidents. This case highlights the dangers posed by zero-day vulnerabilities and the growing use of advanced spyware by state actors to monitor and suppress opposition.
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