Have you been infected with a virus too? More than 1.3 million Android devices have been infected with a new malware called "Gulian," which steals passwords and personal information for Google accounts, a security report by Checkpoint revealed.
The rogue [spyware that tracks computer users' browsing habits] began operating in August, and since then has managed to infect no fewer than 13,000 computers every day.
The name of the malware in question is Julian and it is capable of infecting, apparently, all Android devices on the market. In fact, it is a type of sophisticated spyware that actually monitors all the user's actions in real time and sends them to a third party. Once installed on a device, the user becomes completely exposed. The malware takes over private accounts and forces users to download software as part of a large fraud scheme that rakes in $320,000 a month for hackers.
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Infection with the Julian spyware is done in one of the following two ways: 1. Through email and SMS messages that contain links that download the application to the recipient's device and install it without detection. 2. Using backdoor applications such as "BeNews" found in the Google App Store. The application downloads an innocent application that, when installed, also embeds the spyware code.
Once an Android device is infected, the software identifies which device it is and essentially hacks it, allowing the rogue to gain root privileges. These privileges allow hackers to control the system files and take complete control of it. To do this, hackers use a variety of vulnerabilities found in the operating system, vulnerabilities found primarily in Android versions 4 and 5 (Jelly Bean, KitKat, and Lollipop).
These three versions account for a market share of 74 percent of Android devices today, which means a total of 1.3 billion potential victims.
Checkpoint has set up a special website through which you can check whether your device is infected with Rogala or whether it is safe.
