CyberCertPrepMobile Security FundamentalsMobile Threats & MalwareEASYFree question
Scenario
The user installed a "free wallpaper" app 3 weeks ago. The device now shows full-screen ads at random intervals, including on the home screen. The battery drains 30% faster than before.
A user's Android device begins showing advertisements over other apps and the battery drains rapidly. The security analyst discovers an app requesting SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW and FOREGROUND_SERVICE permissions installed 3 weeks ago. What malware category BEST describes this and what is the PRIMARY mechanism?
- A.This is banking malware running an overlay campaign against financial apps: the alert window permission draws a credential form over a bank client, and the foreground service keeps the harvester alive between sessions. The ads the user reports are a decoy the operator shows to explain the battery drain, and every genuine theft happens silently behind them.
- B.This is HiddenAds / aggressive adware: SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW allows drawing full-screen overlay ads over any app, and FOREGROUND_SERVICE keeps the ad-serving process alive in the background with higher OS scheduling priority. The app generates ad revenue by displaying ads the user cannot easily dismiss, while the persistent foreground service prevents the OS from killing the ad worker.