This malware is capable of subscribing the user to payment services without authorization and emptying their bank accounts without them noticing. The Belgian Police warned about the return of the 'Joker' virus , which attacks Android devices and hides itself in various applications on the Google Play Store .
The Belgian authorities in a statement says
"This malicious program has been detected in eight Play Store applications that Google has suppressed.
The malware ('Joker') became famous in 2017 for infecting and robbing its victims by hiding in different applications. the Google Play Store defense systems have removed around 1,700 apps with the 'Joker' malware before they were downloaded by users.
the 'Joker' virus was found in 24 Android applications In September 2020 which registered more than 500 thousand downloads before being removed.
It is estimated that that time it affected more than 30 countries including the United States, Brazil and Spain. Through unauthorized subscriptions, hackers could steal up to $ 7 (about 140 Mexican pesos) per subscription weekly, a figure that has most likely increased in recent months.
How does the Joker virus work in Android apps?
The 'Joker' Trojan virus belongs to a family of malware known as Bread , whose objective is to hack cell phone bills and authorize operations without the user's consent.
Researchers from the cybersecurity company Quick Heal Security Lab, cited in the statement, explain that this virus can enter text messages , contacts and other information on the infected smartphone.
What makes this malware more dangerous is its ability to subscribe the affected Android user to paid services , usually Premium or the most expensive version, without their prior authorization.
In the beginning, apps infected with 'Joker' or another Malware from this family carried out fraud via SMS , but then began to attack online payments . These two techniques take advantage of the integration of telephone operators with vendors, to facilitate the payment of services with the mobile bill . Both require verification of the device, but not the user, thus they manage to automate payments without requiring any user interaction.
"You risk a big surprise at the end of the month in your bank account or on your credit card," said the Belgian police, referring to the unknown charges that the victim will see at the end of the month.
In fact, it is very common for those affected by 'Joker' to become aware of the theft until they review their account statement in detail. This is because the bank does not suspect an apparently 'normal' subscription and, generally, the charges are so small that they are not detected as unusual movements, so they do not even send a usage alert to the account holder.
On this occasion, the harmful applications that the Google Play Store eliminated after detecting that they contained the 'Joker' virus are:
Auxiliary Message
Element Scanner
Fast Magic SMS
Free CamScanner
Go Messages
Super Message
Super SMS
Travel Wallpapers
However, other specialists warn that more apps are affected and, therefore, millions of users who do not know that they are already victims of this cyber fraud.
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