A new malware variant is said to be targeting millions of Android phones through a vulnerability that is yet to be actively exploited. And developers are insisting on the fact that the Trojan is well capable of draining money from bank accounts.
Security researchers from Cybersecurity Firm Promon claim that “ StrandHogg” Vulnerability is said to be acting as a promotional channel for this banking trojan where malicious apps can be masqueraded as genuine ones to win the trust of users.
Although Google has removed all such malicious apps from its Google Play Store last month, the vulnerability remains to be fixed in all versions of Android. The names of the apps which have been removed are yet to be disclosed by security firm Promon or Lookout. But the companies are not showing interest in revealing the names which might disappoint Android users who might be eager to know if their phones are infected.
Google hasn’t acknowledged the alert or given any press statement. But security analysts say that StrandHogg can emerge as the biggest threat to Android users in history.
Now, to those who are anxious about knowing whether their phone is infected. Here’s a list of some of the suspicious signs –
· If an app is asking for permission for login
· A permission pop-up appears on the home screen without the app name
· If some apps displaying suspicious activities like a calculator app asking for GPS Permission
· User interface is getting filled with Typos
· Apps are freezing and if are phone is constantly restarting
· Back button is freezing irrelevantly
Note 1- It is better if you keep a tab of your finances and transactions being made by your banking app as most of the malware is found targeting these apps.
Note 2- Promon has revealed in its survey that numerous banks in the Czech Republic are reporting currency disappearing from customer accounts.
Note 3- Recently Google has found in its Transport Layer Security (TLS) update that most of its apps in its Google Play Store are encrypting 90 percent of information by default. And most of the apps are targeting Android 9’s functionally ability and encrypting traffic.
