New Week, New Android Spyware Threat

​Malware continues to evolve more quickly than Android operating systems. Lifehacker says the original 2021 version of the Godfather banking trojan is back and more prolific than ever. 
We’ll spare you the technical details, just know that the previous version could draw a fake screen on top of banking and crypto apps to mimic them. Unsuspecting users would then enter their credentials assuming it was business as usual. The Godfather targeted hundreds of financial apps around the world.

The new iteration of Godfather creates a complete virtual environment on phones and then makes copies of financial apps to run there. When users open one of their real apps, they are invisibly redirected to the virtual environment where everything they do is captured and harvested. The malware can even control those apps remotely, initiating transfers and payments while users go about their day. And because everything is hidden in a virtual environment, on-device security measures are likely to miss it.

Fortunately for most of our readers, the Godfather is presently focused on financial apps in a few European countries. But if it’s anything like the last version, that could soon be a dozen nations. Given that some estimates put Android’s smartphone market share at 72 percent worldwide, it’s just a matter of time until the new Godfather finds its way to app-loving Americans.

In the meantime, say experts, Android users should make sure Google Play Protect is enabled and that every app is kept up to date via the Google Play Store. Out-of-date apps are dangerous apps in any operating system.

Finally, depending on the specific version of Android OS, there’s some variation of a setting called “Install unknown apps” – which most users probably don’t even realize is there. Review that list and make sure no apps, especially browsers, have permission to do so.

We’re in an all-out footrace against the fraudsters. Knowing that you are in this race is the first necessary step to protecting your hard-earned savings. Then keep up with your security measures to keep private information private.
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Or, as Vito Corleone says in the original Godfather, “Never tell anyone outside the family what you’re thinking again.”

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