BankBot trojan hits Google Play

A trojan virus that affects Android devices leaked online in January. This was the BankBot, a banking malware which disguised itself as a harmless program and able to avoid Google’s security scans. Weeks after the attack, the malware found its way to Google Play Store.

What makes this vicious banking Trojan threatening is that it was able to find a way of hiding in apps using a variety of names on Play Store. On is Funny Videos 2017 and the other is the HappyTimes Videos, with the latter discovered just after Easter.

While both apps have been taken down, there were already thousands of downloads made by unsuspecting users.

Google Play Store has been criticized for the way it simply depends on automated scanning which makes it susceptible to banking malware. After BankBot has been downloaded, it asks for administrative rights, as in any Play Store download. If permission is given, it can now take over the phone’s system.

Fortunately, Google was already able to remove these apps from the Play Store. But just the same, users are reminded to always be wary of malware attacks and are advised to install antivirus apps.

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