How to, AntaraNews – A brand new Android malware campaign employs Social Engineering along with additional tricks to trick unaware users to install malware that can drain their accounts from banks.
This particular campaign targets users with the most popular Android smartphones from Finland in the present. It’s nevertheless an excellent example of the different tactics and strategies that hackers employ to fool people to download harmful apps.
According the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency ( Traficom ) The incident starts with the text message which instructs recipients to dial an unknown number. After they have done so the call, they’re then told by a scammer at the other side to download an McAfee application to protect themselves.
Although you shouldn’t download any application that someone bribes you with a phone call The initial texts that were used in the campaign appear to be from the banks or payment service providers employing fraud technology.
Find out everything you should learn about this latest malware attack and ways to prevent becoming a victim, as well as others similar to it.
Sideloading malware
In contrast to an official source like the Google Play Store or a different authentic app store, this fake McAfee application arrives in the form of an APK for Android that requires to be installed on the victim’s mobile.This is a huge warning sign and an obvious signal that the app is not a legitimate app since there is no way for a financial or bank company would ever request clients to download the app.
However, a lot of customers have been sucked into the scam, with Traficom reports that one person suffered losses of over 100,000 dollars. This fraud has become so awry that the company providing financial services OP Financial Group published a separate announcement on their site warning its clients about texts that appear to be from banks or authorities from the national level.
Although the Finnish authorities did not name the malware that was employed in the campaign, noticed that it was similar to a previous Vultur trojan for banking campaign dating from in the early part of 2015.
The new Vultur version employs a mixture of SMS smishing (phishing via SMS) as well as phone calls to persuade the potential victims to download fake McAFee Security application. Are you familiar with the scenario? You should, as it is the very similar attack strategy that is being used in the new campaign.
If you’ve unintentionally downloaded this malware that appears to be McAFee and you have a problem, contact your bank as soon as possible to enable security measures and return the compromised Android phone to its original configurations. It will erase your applications and data, however this will remove all malware off the phone.
What can you do to protect yourself from Android malware
Android malware is able to totally ruin your life, if not handled with care. That’s why it’s important be very cautious before installing any new application to your mobile.
In addition to not sideloading apps it is also important to look over reviews and ratings of the app you download through the Google Play Store or other authentic Android apps stores, such as Amazon Appstore, the Samsung Galaxy Store or Amazon Appstore to be sure. As reviews and scores can be fake, I suggest that you look for videos of reviews to ensure you are able to see the application being used prior to downloading it.
If you decide to install the latest app, make sure you pay close attention to what authorizations it asks for. Many malware-related apps require permission to inappropriate permissions in order to gain access to your mobile. In the case of a basic utilitarian app, like a calculator, isn’t required to access your pictures or to access your contact list. For those who want permissions to be an instant red flag accessibility services is one permission which is often misused by malware as they give hackers who are their complete access to the phone.
Since it is pre-installed on the majority of Android phones, you’ll must ensure you have Google Play Protect is turned on as it will scan all the apps you have installed and newly downloaded ones for viruses. To protect yourself you may want to think about installing one of the most effective Android antivirus programs as they typically come with other security tools such as an VPN or password manager.
Hackers and scammers are likely be coming up with new and innovative ways to spread malware while companies such as Google as well as law enforcement agencies become savvy to the tricks they use. It’s therefore up to you to remain vigilant online and to not let your emotions take to the forefront in dealing with texts and other communication from unidentified senders, or even those who pretend to be people they aren’t.