Flubot malware threatens Android phones again. The first warning about this came from cybersecurity firm Trent Micro. Following this, CERT New Zealand, the government cyber security agency in New Zealand, has come out with a warning. They have tweeted through their official account to be careful not to get hit by the Flubot.
The Flubot malware may remotely monitor a phone’s financial activities, logins, passwords, and message content without the owner of the phone is aware of the presence of such spyware.
This spyware will is sent to the phone by SMS, posing as your telecom provider. The SMS informs you that by following this link, you can listen to voicemails left for you by another user. If you click on the link, however, your phone will be infected with the Flubot malware.
Trent Micro says that sometimes the malware may fail to completely take over your phone but now employs an Android update pop-up to entirely take control of the phone by convincing users to click on it.
Things to avoid
- Don’t click on unwanted links
- Disable “installation from an unknown source” in your phone
- Install applications from trusted sources
- If your phone is suspected of being infected, it should be backed up and factory reset.