CamScanner

CamScanner is a Chinese mobile app first released in 2011 that allows iOS and Android devices to be used as image scanners.[1] It allows users to 'scan' documents (by taking a photo with the device's camera) and share the photo as either a JPEG or PDF. This app is available free of charge on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The app is based on freemium model, with ad-supported free version and a premium version with additional functions. The app has been used to deliver malware, removed from later versions.

History

On August 27, 2019, Russian Cyber Security company Kaspersky Lab discovered that recent versions of the Android app distributed an advertising library containing a Trojan Dropper, which was also included in some apps preinstalled on several Chinese mobiles. The advertising library decrypts a Zip archive which subsequently downloads additional files from servers controlled by hackers, allowing the hackers to control the device, including by showing intrusive advertising or charging paid subscriptions. Google took the app down after Kaspersky reported its findings.[2][3] An updated version of the app with the advertising library removed was made available on the Google Play Store as of September 5, 2019.[4] Kaspersky later acknowledged "We appreciate the willingness to cooperate that we've seen from CamScanner representatives, as well as the responsible attitude to user safety they demonstrated while eliminating the threat…The malicious modules were removed from the app immediately upon Kaspersky's warning, and Google Play has restored the app." [5]

In June 2020, the Government of India banned CamScanner along with 58 other apps citing data and privacy issues.[6] US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on January 5, 2021, forbidding transactions with CamScanner and a number of other Chinese services in response to privacy and security concerns; the order is scheduled to take effect 45 days after signing.[7][8]

References
  1. "Android CamScanner PDF app 'sent malware to phones'". BBC. August 28, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  2. Kan, Michael (August 28, 2019). "Malware Discovered in Popular Android App CamScanner". PC Magazine. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  3. "Malicious Android app had more than 100 million downloads in Google Play". Kaspersky Lab. August 27, 2019. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  4. Pelegrin, Williams (September 5, 2019). "CamScanner returns to the Play Store after getting booted for malware (Updated)". Android Authority. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  5. "CamScanner Malicious Android App". Kaspersky Lab. August 27, 2019.
  6. Shrivastava, Rahul (June 29, 2020). "Govt bans 59 Chinese apps including TikTok as border tensions simmer in Ladakh". India Today. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  7. Samuels, Brett (5 January 2021). "Trump issues order banning transactions with 8 Chinese apps". The Hill. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
  8. Whalen, Jeanne (January 6, 2021). "NYSE will remove share listings of Chinese telecom companies as Trump moves to ban Chinese apps Alipay and WeChat Pay". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
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