A major cybersecurity threat has emerged from the discovery of the malicious mobile application RapiPlata, flagged by Check Point’s Harmony Mobile system.
Android smartphones for enterprise mobility
Masked as a legitimate financial service app, RapiPlata exploited user trust and platform credibility by appearing on both Google Play and the Apple App Store, where it accumulated more than 150,000 downloads and ranked among the top finance apps in Colombia.
RapiPlata’s core cybersecurity risk lies in its aggressive and covert data exfiltration. The app collected sensitive user data — including SMS messages, call logs, contacts, calendar entries, and app lists — without consent and transmitted them to external servers. This extensive surveillance enabled further malicious activities such as unauthorized loan claims, identity-based extortion, and targeted harassment of victims and their contacts.
The app also presented an alarming bypass of traditional security tools, with some variants registering zero detections on VirusTotal. Its presence on iOS underscores a dangerous precedent, as it shows how even closed platforms are vulnerable to sophisticated social engineering and permission misuse. For organizations, this poses a serious risk of corporate espionage, with attackers gaining insight into private conversations, organizational structures, and internal meetings.
Despite being delisted from official app stores, RapiPlata continues to circulate through third-party websites, raising concerns about the effectiveness of app vetting and the persistence of malware. Its association with previously identified SpyLoan apps like Prestamo Rapido indicates it is part of a broader cybercrime operation leveraging fake financial services as a vector for spyware deployment.
Check Point’s detection before execution highlights the need for proactive, AI-driven cybersecurity solutions. Enterprises and users are urged to adopt a layered mobile security strategy, verify app sources rigorously, and limit permission access to safeguard against threats like RapiPlata that weaponize convenience to undermine privacy and security.
InfotechLead.com News Desk
