Trojan is one kind of malware as we all know it. Right?
Trojan has always been one of the worst and annoying malware that can cause serious damage to your data saved on your PC. But, nowadays, PC is not the only host for Trojan. Trojan can infect smartphones too. If you didn’t know about that information, I would highly recommend you to reread everything you need about the internet security tips. In a recent case, an android malware came out which can make your android device automated. Well, not fully automation but in few areas. A malware can make unauthorized calls from your android device and you will not get a single clue! In detail, a malware will compel your device to make unauthorized calls to some mysterious numbers in every two minutes. For this process, that malware use Google talk to place calls repeatedly.
How it Works on Android?
According to the recent blog post from Malwarebytes Lab, A new malware threat has is here and the name is “Pawost”. Security experts observed that this Trojan is able to make unauthorized series calls to some mysterious number with an area code of “259”. In an interview, Malwarebytes Lab’s malware intelligence analyst Nathan Collier described that, the following Trojan is designed to make series of calls to some premium numbers which was set up by hackers just to earn money. Yes, they will earn money every time they receive a call and the Trojan is specially designed for android devices. In such case, the infected victim can face a huge amount of money loss. So, Pawost is a culprit malware that can even make your phone bills larger than your bank balance!
Pawost was with a very simple stopwatch android app. After the download process, a blank Google Talk icon will appear on your notifications. Once it appears, means the malicious unauthorized calls are going to start really soon. Pawost is a very clever malware that will conceal its malicious attributes from the owner of the affected device. It will keep the keyboards backlight off and will turn the screen off like a normal wake lock system. But the CPU will still operate the unauthorized calls. Pawost will keep making unauthorized call until you force-stop the affected app or uninstall it from your device.
Nathan Collier has found that the origin of the android malware was in China and secondly found in the USA. He used an Android emulator and tried to get connected to those numbers. He dialed to those numbers where Pawost tried to call. Numbers with US country codes was mostly invalid but the numbers with country code was working well. So, most of the targeted users were Chinese, according to Collier.
Collier also says, the following vicious stopwatch app was within a third-party app store in China. In China, there are few region where Google Store is disabled and third-party app stores are quite popular over there.
Pawost might have the capability to send and even block SMS messaging of your phone too, and it is probably for toll fraud purposes. Collier didn’t wholly observe the act of Pawost throughout analysis, however such capabilities might simply be leveraged by dangerous actors in future malware attacks. The malware additionally gathers data from mobile devices and connects it back to a controller server. The theft information includes phone numbers, apps installed, and IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) and IMEI codes.
Victims who use their phones whereas a secret call is being placed can probably quickly understand one thing is wrong, said collier, however by then the harm can be done. In addition, “You could also be conscious of it, however you will not apprehend precisely a way to stop it,” Collier said.
How to Avoid Caller Android Malware Attack?
To avoid any type of malware attacks you must take some security measures for your mobile device. Things you need to do:
Use anti-malware or antivirus for your phone.
Only install authentic apps with good reviews.
Scan your mobile device at least once in a week.
Use secure HTTPS while browsing the internet.
Try to ignore public Wi-Fi spot.
Finally, this all about the protection measures against android malware. If you like those tips then let me know. You can share your own idea and suggestion too. And of course, for more information learn about the cyber security tips!