A new strain of Android malware is infecting an estimated 13,000 devices per day.

The Gooligan malware roots Android devices before stealing email addresses and authentication tokens stored on them. The tokens create a means for hackers to access users’ sensitive data from Gmail accounts, security researchers at Check Point Software Technologies warn.

The malicious code creates a money-making sideline for crooks by fraudulently installing apps from Google Play and rating them on behalf of the victim.

Gooligan targets devices running Android 4 (Jelly Bean, KitKat) and 5 (Lollipop), collectively around 74 per cent of Android devices currently in use. Gooligan is installing at least 30,000 apps on breached devices every day, or more than 2 million apps since the malicious campaign began, according to Check Point.

via Android-rooting Gooligan malware infects 1 million devices • The Register