Viruses and malware are a constant danger no matter what device platform you are on. Thankfully for Android, very few Windows-based threats are applicable to the mobile platform and in general are entirely avoidable. That doesn’t stop people thinking up malicious ways of trying to compromise your devices, however, and the latest threat appears to be cryptolocker ransomware on Android. The basis of this malware is that it encrypts some of your system files and requests payment to unlock them, hence the name ransomware. The source of this threat appears to be malware group Reveton Team who is selling the malware online.
If the infected malware Android app is installed on your device, you will be prompted by a window (like the one at the top of this page) which alleges that you have been viewing illegal material and is adorned by several well known governmental insignia. The window will inform you that your files have been encrypted and that a payment has to be made in order to unlock them. This window will continue to reappear on the device, even on reboot, and while your homescreen can be accessed, it will curb your access to any of your other existing apps.
Fortunately, this ransomware can be easily avoided completely; the malware app cannot be automatically installed though it often tries to trick users into installing the app. When installing, the app will ask for access to “phone status and identity, full network access, run at startup and prevent the phone from sleeping”.
Android anti-virus software may not have been updated to deal with this latest malware threat yet, but as it is easily avoidable, in general, it’s best to remember not to install apps that have shady origins. What do you think about this latest threat to Android? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: myce.com
