With the arrival of summer, it is common for the number of computer attacks to continue to increase. And today we just found out about a dangerous malware for Android devices that can give you a big scare on your mobile bill. Your name? SMSFactory. Now, the Internet Security Office (OSI) has just launched an alert since the presence of this dangerous malware has been detected in our country, in addition to other countries. All thanks to a study by Avast, a company specializing in computer security, which has been in charge of detecting this mobile virus. As indicated by the OSI “This campaign that has affected users in Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, Ukraine, USA, France and Spain to date, consists of the TrojanSMS malware, to which the company that has identified (Avast) has named it SMSFactory”. How SMSFactory works, the malicious app that attacks your pocket The truth is that we are facing one of the most dangerous malwares. More, with the arrival of summer, where we tend to touch the mobile more. And this is exactly where the problem comes in, since this virus hides in applications available outside of Google Play, on websites of dubious morality and that allow you to watch movies and series for free… In this way, SMSFactory is being distributed to through malicious advertising, on free streaming and adult content download websites. What they do is redirect you to a website where you download the malicious app. And be careful, as detailed by Avast, “if it is not detected, it can generate a high telephone bill, up to $7 (USD) per week or $336 (USD) per year”, so the joke can be very expensive. The problem is that the app is hidden so that you do not notice its presence. For starters, the app erases its icon to make it hard to locate. And, once hidden from sight, it starts sending infected device data to scammers, including location, carrier, and phone type. If they can use it, they will send instructions to the malware so that it starts sending premium SMS-type messages and calling premium-rate phones. How to detect if your phone is infected by SMSFactory As you may have seen, we are dealing with a malware that does not mess around, and if it is already operating in Spain, it is very likely that you could be a victim of this virus, exponentially increasing your bill of your phone. Fortunately, it is quite easy to detect if your Android mobile is infected by SMSFactory. All you have to do is go to the device Settings, click on Applications and see the list of installed applications. In the image that heads these lines we see that the app does not have any name nor does it show an icon. If you detect such an app, don’t hesitate to delete it. And as for protecting yourself from SMSFactory, as long as you download apps from the Google Play Store you should be protected. But it doesn’t hurt to see from time to time what applications you have installed on your computer… >
