Group-IB, a provider of cybersecurity services, advises users of popular banking and cryptocurrency apps for Android mobile devices to use extreme caution. Over 400 apps have already been infected globally by the Android banking trojan known as The GodFather.
Currently, users in 16 different nations are being attacked by the software. There have been confirmed infections in 215 banking apps, 94 cryptocurrency wallets, and 110 platforms for cryptocurrency exchange. The countries with the most reported instances of trojan-activity are the US, Turkey, Spain, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK.
The trojan displays phoney versions of well-known financial and cryptocurrency applications on infected mobile devices. Unaware users put themselves at greater risk of losing their money and giving fraudsters access to sensitive personal information. GodFather also enables hackers to send SMS from an infected smartphone or tablet, launch keyloggers, record the victim's device's screen, and get around two-factor authentication.
Artem Grischenko, a malware analyst at Group-IB, explained that the appearance of Godfather highlights threat actors' ability to modify and update their tools in order to maintain their efficacy, despite efforts by malware detection and prevention providers to update their products. Malicious actors can update out-of-date malware types, return to the source code, and take many other actions to make themselves more dangerous. Threat actors are limited by their ability to use a tool like Godfather to create convincing web impersonations for a particular application.
The malware code has interesting functionality that prevents it from attacking users in Russian-speaking and former Soviet Union nations, according to Group-IB findings. It might imply that GodFather's creators are from Russia or an ex-Soviet nation.
Even though the value of well-known cryptos is decreasing this year, hackers are still very interested in the digital asset sector. The blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis claims that in 2022, traders and investors lost more than $3 billion to dishonest actors.
The biggest attack of 2022 occurred in March when Ronin Network was the victim of the theft of more than $620 million in USDC and ETH. In the meantime, a different hacker in February obtained $320 million in wrapped ETH by taking advantage of a flaw in the Wormhole protocol.
The financial and cryptocurrency industry have high underlying risk that could not be easily identified, therefore it is important to pay extra care in safeguarding your trading funds.
• Download apps from reputable sources: Before accepting them into their stores, Google and Apple check the apps' security. Avoid using third-party app stores, and only jailbreak or root your Android phone if you're comfortable taking the risk.
• Do your homework before installing: User reviews are excellent, but you should also read what experts say. Before installing a new app, look up professional reviews and unbiased assessments.
Many forex brokers now offer their mobile applications respectively. Therefore, it is encouraged that users look up the background of the forex broker in question. Generally, established forex brokers will invest heftily in developing and maintaining their mobile applications. In turn, these are relatively safer compared to small or new brokers as they lack the resources that could come at the expanse of traders.
Anyone can do this effortlessly through the free WikiFX app. All you need to do is log onto the app and utilize the search bar to your advantage. WikiFX reviews, evaluates and rates forex brokers globally in an all-rounded manner, including business premises, licenses and regulatory statuses, trading environment and more.
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