Latest news with #Crocodilus
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
Urgent warning to all mobile users as crooks plant FAKE contacts for banks – they can even pretend to be mum and dad
Find out what to do to protect yourself below BREAK THE BANK Urgent warning to all mobile users as crooks plant FAKE contacts for banks – they can even pretend to be mum and dad Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CRUEL cyber crooks have found a way to add fake contacts onto people's phones in an attempt to gain trust and empty bank accounts. Cyber security experts have warned that the scam is a "truly global threat". Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Experts believe crooks use it to fake being bank support callers Credit: Getty The latest danger leads victims to believe they're being called by a trusted person such as their bank, when actually it's the scammers behind it. This means a "bank support" contact will appear on screen, leading targets to believe it's safe. In doing so, bad actors can pretend to be your bank and dupe you into giving access to your account. Technically, they could masquerade as anyone, such as loved ones or friends. Read more about Android FAT THUMBS Android owners warned of new Google Play Store apps that could cost you £5,000 It's all part of an evolved Android malware campaign known as Crocodilus. Hackers can only modify contact lists of those infected by it. "We believe the intent is to add a phone number under a convincing name such as 'Bank Support', allowing the attacker to call the victim while appearing legitimate," experts at Threat Fabric warned. "This could also bypass fraud prevention measures that flag unknown numbers." The cyber security firm first uncovered Crocodilus targeting people in Turkey in March. But now the company claims it has spread to other countries across the globe. Three little-known ways 'unknown tracker alerts' on Android can keep you safe "With newly added features, Crocodilus is now more adept at harvesting sensitive information and evading detection," Threat Fabric continues. "Notably, its campaigns are no longer regionally confined; the malware has extended its reach to new geographical areas, underscoring its transition into a truly global threat. "This shift not only broadens the potential impact but also suggests a more organised and adaptive threat actor behind its deployment. "As Crocodilus continues to evolve, organisations and users alike must stay vigilant and adopt proactive security measures to mitigate the risks posed by this increasingly sophisticated malware." How to stay safe As ever, money-grabbing malware of this kind usually comes from apps downloaded outside of the Google Play Store. So it's best to stick to apps from the official platform. It's also important to ensure you have Play Protect switched on as this will help pick up on suspicious activity.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Urgent warning to all mobile users as crooks plant FAKE contacts for banks – they can even pretend to be mum and dad
CRUEL cyber crooks have found a way to add fake contacts onto people's phones in an attempt to gain trust and empty bank accounts. Cyber security experts have warned that the scam is a "truly global threat". 1 The latest danger leads victims to believe they're being called by a trusted person such as their bank, when actually it's the scammers behind it. This means a "bank support" contact will appear on screen, leading targets to believe it's safe. In doing so, bad actors can pretend to be your bank and dupe you into giving access to your account. Technically, they could masquerade as anyone, such as loved ones or friends. It's all part of an evolved Android malware campaign known as Crocodilus. Hackers can only modify contact lists of those infected by it. "We believe the intent is to add a phone number under a convincing name such as 'Bank Support', allowing the attacker to call the victim while appearing legitimate," experts at Threat Fabric warned. "This could also bypass fraud prevention measures that flag unknown numbers." The cyber security firm first uncovered Crocodilus targeting people in Turkey in March. But now the company claims it has spread to other countries across the globe. "With newly added features, Crocodilus is now more adept at harvesting sensitive information and evading detection," Threat Fabric continues. "Notably, its campaigns are no longer regionally confined; the malware has extended its reach to new geographical areas, underscoring its transition into a truly global threat. "This shift not only broadens the potential impact but also suggests a more organised and adaptive threat actor behind its deployment. "As Crocodilus continues to evolve, organisations and users alike must stay vigilant and adopt proactive security measures to mitigate the risks posed by this increasingly sophisticated malware." How to stay safe As ever, money-grabbing malware of this kind usually comes from apps downloaded outside of the Google Play Store. So it's best to stick to apps from the official platform. It's also important to ensure you have Play Protect switched on as this will help pick up on suspicious activity.
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Urgent warning to all mobile users as crooks plant FAKE contacts for banks – they can even pretend to be mum and dad
CRUEL cyber crooks have found a way to add fake contacts onto people's phones in an attempt to gain trust and empty bank accounts. Cyber security experts have warned that the scam is a "truly global threat". 1 Experts believe crooks use it to fake being bank support callers Credit: Getty The latest danger leads victims to believe they're being called by a trusted person such as their bank, when actually it's the scammers behind it. This means a "bank support" contact will appear on screen, leading targets to believe it's safe. In doing so, bad actors can pretend to be your bank and dupe you into giving access to your account. Technically, they could masquerade as anyone, such as loved ones or friends. Read more about Android It's all part of an evolved Hackers can only modify contact lists of those infected by it. "We believe the intent is to add a phone number under a convincing name such as 'Bank Support', allowing the attacker to call the victim while appearing legitimate," experts at Threat Fabric warned. "This could also bypass fraud prevention measures that flag unknown numbers." Most read in Tech The cyber security firm first uncovered Crocodilus targeting people in Turkey in March. But now the company claims it has spread to other countries across the globe. Three little-known ways 'unknown tracker alerts' on Android can keep you safe "With newly added features, Crocodilus is now more adept at harvesting sensitive information and evading detection," Threat Fabric continues. "Notably, its campaigns are no longer regionally confined; the malware has extended its reach to new geographical areas, underscoring its transition into a truly global threat. "This shift not only broadens the potential impact but also suggests a more organised and adaptive threat actor behind its deployment. "As Crocodilus continues to evolve, organisations and users alike must stay vigilant and adopt proactive security measures to mitigate the risks posed by this increasingly sophisticated malware." How to stay safe As ever, money-grabbing malware of this kind usually comes from apps downloaded outside of the Google Play Store. So it's best to stick to apps from the official platform. It's also important to ensure you have Must-know Android tips to boost your phone Get the most out of your Android smartphone with these little-known hacks:
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Android phone users told to 'stay vigilant' - ignoring new alert will be costly
Android users are, once again, being urged to stay alert and be careful before installing apps onto their phones. There's another new warning for those with Android phones in their pockets, and ignoring this latest alert could prove very costly. It appears cyber crooks are, once again, trying their luck at targeting Android phones and this time they are using an attack that's been branded "Crocodilus". This threat uses a clever tactic in a bid to steal money, and it could prove highly lucrative for the scammers and very damaging for those affected. According to the team at Threat Fabric, the worrying attack begins via adverts displayed on popular social media platforms. These pop-ups, which look highly convincing, encouraged users to download an app to claim prizes and financial incentives. However, once installed, the app then sets about infecting devices with Crocodilus, and one of the scariest features of this bug is its ability to add names and numbers to users' contact lists. "A key feature update is the ability to modify the contact list on an infected device," Threat Fabric explained. "We believe the intent is to add a phone number under a convincing name such as 'Bank Support', allowing the attacker to call the victim while appearing legitimate. This could also bypass fraud prevention measures that flag unknown numbers." It's a worrying scam that could leave users out of pocket if they drop their guard and aren't aware that their contacts have been tampered with. Threat Fabric is now urging all Android users to "stay vigilant". "The latest campaigns involving the Crocodilus Android banking Trojan signal a concerning evolution in both the malware's technical sophistication and its operational scope," the Threat Fabric team added. "As Crocodilus continues to evolve, organisations and users alike must stay vigilant and adopt proactive security measures to mitigate the risks posed by this increasingly sophisticated malware." One good piece of advice is to download apps only from official online marketplaces such as Google's Play Store. Before installing any software, it's also a good idea to check the developer and read the reviews as these will often give you a good idea of issues with the app before installing it.
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Dangerous new Android malware is adding fake contacts to your phone while draining bank accounts
A new Android malware strain is making the rounds online that makes it incredibly difficult to distinguish who's actually calling you as it was recently updated with the ability to add fake contacts to your phone. As reported by BleepingComputer, the malware in question is called Crocodilus, and it was first discovered back in March of this year by Threat Fabric. While it was initially used to target crypto users in Turkey to drain their wallets, the malware is now being distributed on a global scale and is currently being used to target the best Android phones in the U.S., Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia and India. In a blog post, the cybersecurity firm Field Effect explains that Crocodilus is distributed using a custom dropper so that it can bypass Android's built-in security measures. For instance, it doesn't need access to Android's Accessibility Services or other user permissions to end up on a vulnerable smartphone. Likewise, it's also able to bypass the built-in defenses of Google Play Protect. Crocodilus' latest new ability is particularly worrying since hackers can easily use it in social engineering attacks. For instance, you might see a call come through from your bank after visiting a malicious website on your phone. However, since Crocodilus can now be used to add fake contacts to your phone, it could actually be hackers trying to scam you out of your hard-earned cash on the other end of the line. Here's everything you need to know about this new threat, including some tips and tricks to help you stay safe from hackers trying to infect your smartphone with malware. Though still quite new, Crocodilus is already a full-featured Android malware with loads of malicious capabilities. For example, it can remotely take over your smartphone, steal data from it and use overlay attacks to mimic popular financial and banking apps to steal your credentials. Now, in the latest version of this malware, the ability to add fake contacts to a victim's phone has been added to Crocodilus. Once this is done, the device will display the name listed in a caller's contact profile as opposed to their caller ID when an incoming call is received. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. With this new capability, hackers using the Crocodilus malware in their attacks can easily impersonate banks, trusted companies and even your friends and family members. Given that more people text than call these days, potential victims could easily fall for a text from a friend or family member asking them to send money in an emergency and have no idea that they did so. It's also worth noting that these fake contacts aren't tied to your Google account. Instead, they remain on an infected phone and won't sync with your other devices once you log in to them. At this time, it's currently unknown how Android users are being tricked into infecting their phones with the Crocodilus malware. However, Field Effect's researches suggest that the malware is likely being distributed via malicious sites, fake promotions sent through social media or via text and on third-party app stores. You can never be too careful on your phone and this is especially true with new malware strains like Crocodilus. From clicking a bad link to downloading a malicious app, there are plenty of ways in which your devices can become infected with a virus. For this reason, I always recommend limiting the number of apps on your phone. This is because even good apps can go bad when injected with malicious code and it's always easier to ensure that the apps you do have installed are up to date when there are few of them overall. At the same time, you want to stick to downloading new apps from the Google Play Store or other first-party Android app stores like the Samsung Galaxy Store or the Amazon App Store. The reason being is that the apps on unofficial, third-party app stores don't go through the same rigorous security checks that they would on other platforms. To stay safe from Android malware, first and foremost, you want to make sure that Google Play Protect is enabled on your smartphone. This free security tool scans all of the new apps you download as well as any existing apps on your phone for malware and other threats. However, as hackers will often find ways to bypass Android's built-in security tools like we've seen here, you may also want to consider downloading and installing one of the best Android antivirus apps for extra protection. If you want to be extra safe, though, the best identity theft protection services can help you regain your identity and any funds lost to fraud after a major malware attack. Given that the Crocodilus malware has already been updated quite frequently despite it being fairly new, I expect this won't be the last we hear of this Android malware strain, especially now that hackers are using it in attacks in even more countries.
