Currently Android users have to beware of a dangerous Trojan. This is mostly masquerading as a media app and trying to access the banking details of the victims. Here we explain how you can protect yourself.
Security experts have discovered new malware that attacks Android devices. The trojan horse was named SharkBot. It steals credentials from banks and cryptocurrency services and can cause massive damage.
The virus is programmed to target specific targets systemically. So far, this includes 22 banks from Italy and the UK and five crypto apps from the USA. as “pirate news“Reports indicate that the malware appears to be still in a relatively early stage of development. So it is expected that other targets will be added over time.
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Android users at risk: SharkBot steals money from victims
But what exactly does SharkBot do? First, the Trojan is downloaded from an unofficial source, i.e. not from the Google Play Store. It’s often disguised as a media, live TV, or data recovery app. Then the program tries to get as many permissions as possible via popups. The Trojan then looks for access data for the appropriate applications and sets up automatic transfers. Thus two-factor authentication is bypassed and can do significant financial harm to the victim.
In addition, the malware gives the operator full access to the infected device. SharkBot also takes steps to avoid being recognized. Among other things, the application icon is hidden on the main screen and the connection to remote servers is encrypted.
Android users at risk: How to protect yourself from a Trojan horse
Even if German services have apparently not been affected yet, you should be careful. Fortunately, protecting yourself from infection with SharkBot is very simple: do not download applications from unofficial sources. So far, no Trojan horse has been detected in any app from Google Play Store.
So if you find an app that interests you, check if it is available on Play Store or another trusted app store and download it there. If you don’t have it there, you shouldn’t. You can also protect yourself further by installing a virus scanner.
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