Bilal Bot: That Time a Malware Developer Asked Me to Correct a Security Blog

In a recent email I received to my personal inbox, I was informed that one of my blogs covering mobile malware caught the attention of a person claiming to be the developer of Android malware Bilal Bot. Why would a developer of crimeware be contacting one of the largest security vendors in the world? You can imagine my surprise when I learned he (or she) was actually seeking my help to better highlight the malware in our security blog.

The Background

 Bilal Bot is an Android malware app designed to enable the theft of data from mobile devices and their users for the purpose of online banking fraud, card fraud and identity theft.

Earlier this year, I described Bilal Bot as part of a blog post about increased competition in the underground mobile malware market, noting that Bilal Bot offered a lower cost/beta version that was an alternative to more advanced mobile malware, such as GM Bot. 

The Email

 So, why did the alleged malware developer feel the need to read and email me about my blog? Let’s take a look at that peculiar email…

This post was part of my work with IBM X-Force. Read the complete post here.