When you least expect it, a virus can attack your mobile by taking over your data, controlling the phone and stealing your bank accounts. This is what the FluBot malware does externally, a threat that appeared a few months ago, wreaking havoc, and now returns even more dangerous to the Android world with different methods.
Created by a group of cybercriminals who want to get hold of our data, it is becoming popular again and before it affects you, we want to warn you so that you are aware of its risks. And it has begun to roll out across Europe with various methods, with the intention of deceiving the largest number of users.
This is how the threat works
Previously, it only had the ability to enter our mobile through a text message, which already made us suspect of a threat , since it is the most repeated method. However, now it appears in various ways. Among those that have been discovered so far is a fake Adobe Flash Player application that is displayed on the screen when visiting websites. It has also come to be seen as a false system update, but above all it is surprising that it sneaks in as a notification in some cases.
This happens when installing an application outside of Google Play, to which we can give all the permissions without suspecting what will happen next. The malware will be hidden in the notification, which will be copying all the access data to the bank that we can use naturally without suspecting anything.
Those who receive the message with the hidden virus apparently do so from any user, with a link that easily installs the Adobe Flash Player app, trying to invite us to click with a video about us, about another person or with compromised information. As we can see in the screenshot of the Twitter user CSIRT KNF , the threat can go completely unnoticed by those who do not master smartphones and that is why we must be much more careful. By installing itself on the phone without a suspicious appearance, the app can stay installed on the phone for as long as it takes and in the meantime absorb information without realizing it.
How do we protect the mobile?
To make all these photos and data 100% safe on Android, we must follow the main and most important tips. There are many that we may have heard or read, although the most important against this type of virus on Android are the following. With them there will be no threat that can cause a disaster on our phone:
- Update the mobile to the latest version. So we are protecting ourselves with the help of security patches.
- Do not click on links and much less write your data lightly.
- Don’t install apps outside of Google Play.
We should also be attentive to notifications and check our relatives’ mobiles whenever we can for the possible FluBot attack, just in case they have fallen into the trap. This would serve criminals to get our phone number and those of other contacts, to continue with the deception. Google is aware of this attack and while we try to prevent it, they are preventing it from sneaking into the device or causing damage.
