Last week, thousands of Dutch people fell for a fake text message. As a result, many of them are now “lucky” owners of malware that can siphon personal data, send messages and even “look” into banking applications without the user's knowledge.
What was in this fatal SMS? The most common email notification: "Your parcel is on the way, the status can be viewed by downloading our application from the link." With this simple method, attackers stole data from inattentive users.
As a result, according to the Netherlands Payments Association (Betaalverening The Netherlands)At the end of last week, thousands of smartphones were infected, and new cases continue to be reported every day.
Apparently, at the moment the virus takes root only on smartphones with an android system. In an SMS message, the owner is offered to download a special application, as well as to give permission to install applications from third-party services (other than the Google Play Store). After that, the most gullible users download the application and are "rewarded" with a virus that sends infected messages from their phones to other users and even tries to withdraw money from their accounts (however, such cases have so far been recorded only in Spain and the UK).
How can I avoid getting infected?
The simplest and most obvious answer is not to open links sent from unknown numbers. If you really ordered a package and want to track it, always download only official apps from the Google Play Store or Apple Store, because any self-respecting company that has an app will place it there in the first place.
What if your cell phone is already infected?
Unfortunately, the hackers' virus turned out to be of high quality. You won't be able to remove it just like that, and the most effective method will be the most radical - to "roll back" the phone to the factory settings.
We wish you to be vigilant and live by the principle of "check seven times - open once."
Publication Date: 27.05.2021
