A new Android malware virus could be secretly recording your text messages and phone calls and you'd never know.
Security firm Kaspersky has cautioned Android smartphone owners about a dangerous new variant of malware.
Dubbed Faketoken, the new malware is capable of recording your calls, intercepting texts and quietly siphoning data from various mobile apps, including banking apps.
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Worst of all you might never know the malware is even installed on your device.
Kaspersky claim the Faketocken malware "hides its shortcut icon and starts to monitor all of the calls and whichever app the user launches" as soon as it has infiltrated your Android smartphone.
The Trojan style malware can steal data from more than 2,000 app, including Android pay, the Google Play Store, taxi and hotel booking app, as well as airlines apps, Kaspersky has claimed.
As millions of Android users have these applications installed the damage caused by Faketocken could be significant the company added.
As soon as the app is launched Faketocken immediately replaces the user interface with a fake one that asks the user to input their financial information.
"The substitution happens instantaneously and the colors of the fake UI correspond to those of the original launched app," antivirus company Kaspersky claimed in an official blog post.
The siphons the credit card data for the malware creators records.
If your bank send a separate verification code in a text message before it will process your payment Faketocken has a terrifying answer for that, too.
The malware can steal any incoming text messages and send them to command and control servers, where hackers can use the access code to gain access.
According to Kaspersky the evidence suggests that Faketocken is being targeted at Russian users for now.
However, it is a sobering reminder to avoid installing third party apps from unapproved sources like torrents or unknown websites.
The Google Play Store while not infallible is the safest option when downloading and installing new application for your Android smartphone or tablet.
Dubbed Faketoken, the new malware is capable of recording your calls, intercepting texts and quietly siphoning data from various mobile apps, including banking apps.
See here:
Worst of all you might never know the malware is even installed on your device.
Kaspersky claim the Faketocken malware "hides its shortcut icon and starts to monitor all of the calls and whichever app the user launches" as soon as it has infiltrated your Android smartphone.
The Trojan style malware can steal data from more than 2,000 app, including Android pay, the Google Play Store, taxi and hotel booking app, as well as airlines apps, Kaspersky has claimed.
As millions of Android users have these applications installed the damage caused by Faketocken could be significant the company added.
As soon as the app is launched Faketocken immediately replaces the user interface with a fake one that asks the user to input their financial information.
"The substitution happens instantaneously and the colors of the fake UI correspond to those of the original launched app," antivirus company Kaspersky claimed in an official blog post.
The siphons the credit card data for the malware creators records.
If your bank send a separate verification code in a text message before it will process your payment Faketocken has a terrifying answer for that, too.
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| The Trojan virus installs on your device, and then immediately hides its app icon (pictured here) |
According to Kaspersky the evidence suggests that Faketocken is being targeted at Russian users for now.
However, it is a sobering reminder to avoid installing third party apps from unapproved sources like torrents or unknown websites.
The Google Play Store while not infallible is the safest option when downloading and installing new application for your Android smartphone or tablet.
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