Password Stealing Virus Hits Android Devices

CERT-In alerts Android phone users to a new 'AndroidSmssend' password stealing virus. 

Password Stealing Virus

Cybersecurity sleuths have issues a warning about a new infectious Trojan virus which steals vital information from your Android based smartphone and can even illegally send SMSes to those on the mobile contact list. The malware dubbed 'AndroidSmssend' can acquire as many as four aliases to steal passwords. "Android/SmsSend is a premium service abuser family malware that arrives bundled with legitimate Android applications and infects Android based smart phones. "Once infected, it sends text messages (typically with a link to itself or a different threat) to a specific number, typically to numbers on the contact list and is also capable to send SMS to premium rate numbers," the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) said in its latest advisory to Android phone users. The advisory says that after infecting a device, the malware steals the Smartphones IMEI number, device id, device type as well as other basic information and can even install spyware on the targeted device. CERT-in warns that the virus is so notorious that it "steals contacts and pictures, tracks the location, steals passwords, illegally accesses text messages, crashes a complete system, steals personal banking information when logged in, installs other sort of spyware and disables firewall and anti-virus program to defend itself." The agency has suggested some counter-measures to users to protect their devices against the virus. "Do not download and install applications from untrusted sources, install applications downloaded from reputed application market only, run a full system scan on device with mobile security solution or mobile anti-virus solution, check for the permissions required by an application before installing, exercise caution while visiting trusted/untrusted sites for clicking links, install Android updates and patches and use device encryption or encrypting external SD card feature available with most of the android OS (operating system)." Read: NotCompatible: New malware threat for Android devices Source: TOI