Urgent warning over new mobile attack that allows hackers to see INSIDE your banking app and hijack your accounts
AN URGENT warning has been issued over a new mobile attack that allows hackers to hijack your bank accounts.
A dangerous new version of malware, or malicious software, allows criminals to see inside your banking apps and steal your money.
Advertisement
1
A new version malware allows criminals to hack into your banking apps
Credit: Getty
The new Android "Godfather" malware creates an isolated virtual environment on mobile devices, according to
Hackers can then steal your account data and transactions from legitimate banking apps.
Malicious apps are executed inside the controlled virtual environment enabling real-time spying, credential theft and transaction manipulation.
This can all happen when you're none the wiser as it maintains perfect visual deception.
Advertisement
Read more Tech news
The tactic is similar to the FjordPhantom malware seen in 2023 but experts warn that the Godfather is much broader in scope.
It targets over 500 banking, cryptocurrency and e-commerce apps worldwide.
Zimperium, a world leader in mobile security, say that the level of deception is very high.
The user is able to see the real app but the Android protections don't pick up the malicious operation underway.
Advertisement
Most read in Tech
Exclusive
Exclusive
Once active on the device, the malware checks for installed target apps and places them inside its virtual environment.
The malware tricks Android into thinking that a legitimate app is being run while actually intercepting and controlling it.
A victim will launch their banking app and see the real app interface but all of their sensitive data can easily be hijacked.
The Godfather malware can then record account credentials, passwords, PINS and capture responses from your bank.
Advertisement
This is because the malware tricks the victim by displaying a fake lock screen to trick them into entering their passwords and PIN numbers.
Once criminals have harvested that data, they can then trigger payments inside the real banking app.
Huge Global Data Breach: 16 Billion Accounts at Risk
The victim might see a fake "update" screen or a black screen to evade suspicion.
The Godfather malware was first discovered in March 2021 and has seen a significant evolution.
Advertisement
In December 2022, analysts found that it could target over 400 apps over 16 countries.
Although the campaign analysts spotted only targets a dozen Turkish banking apps, Godfather operators could opt to target over 500 apps worldwide.
To protect yourself it's advised that you only download apps from Google Play or from app publishers you trust.
Android users should also ensure that Play Protect is active and pay attention to the requested permissions.
Advertisement
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
I tried Samsung's posh new mobile that makes iPhone look like an expensive BRICK – there's a way to save on upgrading
SAMSUNG has had a pretty packed year in smartphone world. First, we had the usual Advertisement 6 Only two cameras are now on the back as Samsung looks to slim things down Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun 6 Familiar but slimmer new design Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun And now we're back to the Galaxy S25 again with a new category. This time it's all about thin, thin, thin. All the tech packed inside ever-powerful phones make it tricky business to stop them from becoming almighty hunks of metal. Read more about Samsung What with chunky batteries, all that processing power needed for AI tools, the list goes on. Advertisement But Samsung is determined to give it a go with the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge - even if there are some sacrifices. As The Sun's main Android smartphone reviewer I get hands-on with all sorts of devices all the time. Here's why you might want to consider the Galaxy S25 Edge if you're fed up with chunky mobiles weighing down your pocket. Most read in Phones & Gadgets Tested Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Look and feel How the Galaxy S25 Edge looks and feels is arguably the most important first bit of information you want. Advertisement And the good news is, it's immense. I can't remember the last time I held a phone of this size and power that felt this light, at only 163g. Samsung insider reveals top tricks every user needs to know about to save battery and storage A website on the weight of items tells me that's about as heavy as an average hockey puck. The Galaxy S25+ and iPhone 15 Plus are the fairest comparisons to note, because they both have a 6.7inch display like the S25 Edge. Advertisement A Galaxy S25+ weighs 190g, while the iPhone 15 Plus is 201g. But it's not just the weight, the Edge is super thin at 5.8mm - Samsung's thinnest ever phone. Looking for objects around the house, the nearest item I could compare it to is a tiny bit thicker than my passport. Again, the Galaxy S25+ is 7.3mm thick and the iPhone 15 Plus is 7.8mm. Advertisement This makes the iPhone - and just about every other smartphone, even Samsung's other models - look and feel like a brick. Despite all this, the titanium body and hardened glass on the S25 Edge feel pretty tough, though I'd worry it might bend if I accidentally sat on it a few times too many. 6 The Galaxy S25 Edge on top of the iPhone 15 Pro Max Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Performance and software From a software and performance perspective, the Galaxy S25 Edge feels just like the other phones in the series. Advertisement It runs on Samsung's own version of Android, One UI. One UI has a consistent, clean and easy look that I like. All the S25 devices run on Android 15, One UI 7, which is the very latest version of both, straight out of the box. And once again, Samsung offers a whooping seven years of security and software updates. Advertisement Look after the handset it could last you quite sometime thereby saving you money on upgrades. Who offers free updates longest? The longer you receive updates, the longer you can safely continue using your smartphone - with the latest features thrown in too for free. Samsung For the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung said it would provide at least seven generations of OS updates and seven years of security updates. OnePlus At the launch of the OnePlus 13, OnePlus committed to at least four years of Android updates and six years of security updates. Xiaomi Xiaomi offers four years off Android updates and five years security updates. Google For the Pixel 9 series, Google said that devices would receive at least seven years of support. Like the other S25 devices, the Edge version uses the same powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip on the inside to keep things running super smooth. As such, apps, games and anything else you throw at it glides through without any issue or lag. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Features The Galaxy S25 Edge carries all the same great features as the other models too, with a large focus on AI tools this year. Advertisement Samsung moved closer to Google and its Gemini digital assistant. Though not exclusive to Samsung, it's worth mentioning that Gemini is really handy - I was using it to identify problems with my plant the other day. As for Samsung's own newer features there's Now Brief, an AI companion that acts as a central hub for everything going on in your day. This keeps you in check with not only your calendar and weather but learns about your habits so will warn you about things such as traffic. Advertisement Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Battery Now battery is the big one I was most curious about given that it's the part that takes up a lot of physical space in phones. Sticking to its nearest comparable sibling, the S25+, the battery on the Edge is smaller. The Edge has a 3,900 mAh, compared to the S25+'s 4,900 mAh. And seeing as I mentioned the iPhone 15 Plus before, it's worth noting that the battery there is 4,383 mAh. Advertisement The battery and camera sacrifices are bold to say the least So, physically speaking the Edge is much lower. Samsung has done some performance optimising to get around this but there's still only so much they can do. With general on and off usage throughout my day - using apps like WhatsApp, checking emails, watching the odd video and going on social media - I could get a day out of it. But constant power users watching loads of videos probably won't make it through the day without help. Advertisement What's more, the Galaxy S25 Edge doesn't charge as fast as it's sister handsets either. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Camera The other big difference is on camera with only two on the back of the S25 Edge. There's no telephoto sensor to take clear photos from a distance - which is something you would expect from a phone that costs upward of a grand. But the 200-megapixel main camera and 12-megapixel ultrawide camera do manage to take some detailed pics popping with colour. Advertisement 6 Snap from a recent holiday taken on the Galaxy S25 Edge Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun 6 I zoomed in on a church in the distance - here is the normal distance and below you'll see the zoomed photo Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun 6 The zoomed photo is pretty good given the distance but you do lose some quality Credit: Jamie Harris / The Sun Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Pricing The Galaxy S25 Edge starts from £1,099 / $1,099. Advertisement But there is a new way to keep the cost of expensive phones down in the form of Samsung Club. For a lower monthly cost, you can get the latest Galaxy every year rather than buying outright each time, plus other perks. The Galaxy S25 Edge is the first phone being offered as part of the scheme from £33.31 per month. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Verdict Final thoughts by Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is a slick looking phone there is no questioning that, it oozes sexy. You get a gorgeous display, as well as the tried and trusted Samsung experience on the phone as well. The battery and camera sacrifices are bold to say the least. While I love not being weighed down by a phone in my pocket, it's hard to overlook these two drawbacks when the price tag tops a grand. Rating: 4/5 All prices in this article were correct at the time of writing, but may have since changed. Always do your own research before making any purchase.
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Urgent warning over new mobile attack that allows hackers to see INSIDE your banking app and hijack your accounts
AN URGENT warning has been issued over a new mobile attack that allows hackers to hijack your bank accounts. A dangerous new version of malware, or malicious software, allows criminals to see inside your banking apps and steal your money. Advertisement 1 A new version malware allows criminals to hack into your banking apps Credit: Getty The new Android "Godfather" malware creates an isolated virtual environment on mobile devices, according to Hackers can then steal your account data and transactions from legitimate banking apps. Malicious apps are executed inside the controlled virtual environment enabling real-time spying, credential theft and transaction manipulation. This can all happen when you're none the wiser as it maintains perfect visual deception. Advertisement Read more Tech news The tactic is similar to the FjordPhantom malware seen in 2023 but experts warn that the Godfather is much broader in scope. It targets over 500 banking, cryptocurrency and e-commerce apps worldwide. Zimperium, a world leader in mobile security, say that the level of deception is very high. The user is able to see the real app but the Android protections don't pick up the malicious operation underway. Advertisement Most read in Tech Exclusive Exclusive Once active on the device, the malware checks for installed target apps and places them inside its virtual environment. The malware tricks Android into thinking that a legitimate app is being run while actually intercepting and controlling it. A victim will launch their banking app and see the real app interface but all of their sensitive data can easily be hijacked. The Godfather malware can then record account credentials, passwords, PINS and capture responses from your bank. Advertisement This is because the malware tricks the victim by displaying a fake lock screen to trick them into entering their passwords and PIN numbers. Once criminals have harvested that data, they can then trigger payments inside the real banking app. Huge Global Data Breach: 16 Billion Accounts at Risk The victim might see a fake "update" screen or a black screen to evade suspicion. The Godfather malware was first discovered in March 2021 and has seen a significant evolution. Advertisement In December 2022, analysts found that it could target over 400 apps over 16 countries. Although the campaign analysts spotted only targets a dozen Turkish banking apps, Godfather operators could opt to target over 500 apps worldwide. To protect yourself it's advised that you only download apps from Google Play or from app publishers you trust. Android users should also ensure that Play Protect is active and pay attention to the requested permissions. Advertisement
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
World's first AI minister to govern in Dubai and oversee ALL state companies in dystopian vision of the future
ARTIFICIAL intelligence is becoming more sophisticated every year, and many people are anxious about robots taking over their jobs. But one Middle Eastern country is taking this to a whole new level, bringing AI right into the heart of its government. 3 The United Arab Emirates will bring an AI system into its cabinet Credit: Alamy 3 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid made the stunning announcement on Friday Credit: AFP 3 Artificial intelligence robot looking at futuristic digital data display Credit: Getty Numerous jobs from customer service to data entry are often seen as at risk to being lost to machines in the near Yet even government ministers may soon have to worry about losing their jobs to artificial intelligence. From next year, the United Arab Emirates will bring an AI system into its cabinet. This will mark the first time in world history that artificial intelligence has had a seat at a nation's top table. read more in tech The National Artificial Intelligence System will serve as an advisory member of the UAE's cabinet. This system is expected to help oversee all of the oil-rich nation's state companies. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid made the stunning announcement on Friday. He began a lengthy X post with some more routine government announcements. Most read in Tech These included the establishment of a Ministry of Foreign Trade and a name change to the Ministry of Economy to the Ministry of Economy and Tourism. But then the Dubai ruled shared the jaw-dropping news than an AI system would be brought into the fold. Chilling new vid shows world-first 'synthetic human' dubbed Protoclone twitch into life as it flexes its spindly fingers He posted: "We also announce that the National Artificial Intelligence System will be adopted as an advisory member of the Cabinet, the Ministerial Development Council, and all boards of directors of federal entities and government companies, starting in January 2026. "The goal is to support decision-making in these councils, conduct immediate analyses of their decisions, provide technical advice, and enhance the efficiency of government policies adopted by these councils across all sectors. "The world is going through a comprehensive restructuring phase, scientifically, economically, and socially. "And our goal is to prepare today for the coming decades. "Our goal is to ensure continued prosperity and a decent life for future generations." It comes amid a big drive by the UAE to be a top player the field of AI. The country's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031 aims to make the country a global leader in the field by that year. The UAE is not the only country looking to further integrate AI into day-to-day life. A "We are building a city where everything, people, buildings, vehicles, is connected through sensors and AI," Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota's Board of Directors, has said previously. "It's a unique opportunity to create a living digital operating system for urban life."
