"The browser, which is linked to Chinese online gambling websites and is thought to have been downloaded millions of times, actually routes all internet traffic through servers in China and "covertly installs several programs that run silently in the background," according to new findings from network security company Infoblox. The researchers say the "hidden" elements include features similar to malware-including "key logging, surreptitious connections," and changing a device's network connections."
"Perhaps most significantly, the Infoblox researchers who collaborated with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the work, found links between the browser's operation and Southeast Asia's sprawling, multibillion-dollar cybercrime ecosystem, which has connections to money-laundering, illegal online gambling, human trafficking, and scam operations that use forced labor. The browser itself, the researchers says, is directly linked to a network around major online gambling company BBIN, which the researchers have labeled a threat group they call Vault Viper."
The Universe Browser advertises speed and privacy but routes internet traffic through servers in China and covertly installs programs that run silently. Hidden components include key logging, surreptitious connections, and modification of device network settings. The browser is linked to Chinese online gambling websites and is believed to have been downloaded millions of times. Infoblox and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime found connections between the browser and Southeast Asia's multibillion-dollar cybercrime ecosystem, including money laundering, illegal online gambling, human trafficking, and scam operations using forced labor. The browser is associated with a BBIN-linked network labeled Vault Viper.
Read at WIRED
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