Android.Gongfu in virus library:

A family of malicious programs for Android mobile devices. The malware can be incorporated into legitimate applications and games and can be distributed through various websites that host software and via Internet forums. These malicious programs can launch automatically on system startup. Moreover, they can gather various device-related information (for example, phone number, IMEI, device model, and OS version) and send it to a remote server.

The Trojans belonging to this family can install another malicious application on the compromised device. This application is, in fact, a backdoor that runs in background mode and can execute commands received from the command and control server. To install the backdoor without user knowledge, the malware exploits various Android vulnerabilities that help acquire root privileges. In order to get elevated privileges, these Trojans use exploits stored in their bodies.

However, later versions of Android.Gongfu Trojans utilize a different routine that looks as follows: instead of using exploits, they employ social engineering methods to force their victims grant these malicious programs necessary privileges.

Moreover, some modifications of Android.Gongfu have features—previously executed in Dalvik—implemented using Linux-native code. As a result, these Trojans do not need to download any additional applications.