[Update: The spyware revealer tool is now ready and so is the whitepaper.  I've added links to navigate easily]

Navigation

• You can download the software revealer here
• You can download the spyware removal guide here
• You can download the whitepaper here

Now onto the rest of the original article:

Okay, so I put aside the write up for awhile to complete my BlackBerry App that will reveal the Etisalat Spyware if it is installed on your BlackBerry.  So far, I have tested it on my simulators and it works well.  I’ve posted some screenshots here.  Now as luck would have it, I did get a hold of a set of BlackBerry Code Signing Keys.  This would allow me to distribute this app and people would be able to use it and, hopefully, benefit from it.  But not all of that luck was good.  I tried installing the keys and the registration with the central BlackBerry servers is failing.  I have mailed RIM about this and I am waiting their response.  What does this mean?  Well, sadly, I cannot release the tool because of this so no-one is going to be able to clean their BB’s over the weekend.  Bummer.  I’ve got the source which I will release at the same time.  In the meantime, if anyone is interested in the source, leave a comment and I’ll pick it up from there on.  So while I wait for the Keys to come through, I’ll get to work on the writeup.

The App:

I called it the Hidden Program Revealer (yeah, I know, as original as some of the shop names in Dubai.)  So far all the app does is start up and look for the name of the Etisalat application and determines if it is installed.  It detects if it is hiddenand will give you an option to reveal it if it is.  At that point, you can go to Options->Advanced Options->Applications->Registration->Delete to remove the spyware completely.  Additionally, I wanted to make the app a bit more useful for the future and I put in an option to reveal all hidden programs and libraries on your handheld.  This will give you an opportunity to search for anything suspicious.  If you do find some other suspicious apps, then mail me the name and I’ll ship a custom app for you to reveal it and uninstall it.  I think a good rule of thumb, much like Tripwire is to install a known, good copy of the BlackBerry device software, run my utility and baseline the hidden apps on your device.  That way, you will know if anything is changed.  This is actually the direction I want to go with my app as well.

For now, only screenshots.

Screenshots of my BlackBerry App running on the sim: