UPDATE
Botnets are spreading to new avenues, as researchers recently spotted Android malware for the first time targeting car head units, the hardware modules on dashboards that control vehicle communication, entertainment, and information systems.
Kaspersky researchers were monitoring Android threats in June when they found novel malware in an unusual place: the firmware of car head units. The researchers spotted what seemed like a typical head unit app, except for the fact that it lacked a user interface.
An analysis of the app revealed it was actually a multistage malware downloader, one designed to infect head units and spread by abusing a legitimate function.
"The malware spread through the built-in updaters of Android-based automotive head unit firmware," Dmitry Kalinin, security researcher at Kaspersky, wrote in the threat report. "This is the first documented case of malware found on a car head unit with an infection chain specific to that type of device."