'Joker' virus is back, can empty your bank account without your knowledge!
With smart devices come smart malware and a virus that is suspected to empty your bank accounts without you even noticing...
We can firmly say that we cannot be without our phones or our laptops or any of our tech devices. This isn't something to be ashamed of, it is part of who we are now. We are a part of the digital age, we are the generation that uses our devices to up our style, up our profiles, up our influence...
Yes, that is who many people are today, regardless of your age. Maybe some of us have an unhealthy relationship with our smart devices, in that we go "everywhere" with them and we feel naked without them. But that's a topic for another day. Today we are going to highlight some valuable information that could help you protect your money...
The police in Belgium have warned smartphone users who use Android devices that a virus called, 'Joker', has returned and it hides itself in certain Google apps from the Google App Store.
"This malware is capable of subscribing the user to payment services without their authorisation and emptying their bank accounts without them noticing.
"The 'Joker' malware became famous in 2017 for infecting and robbing its victims by hiding in different applications. Since then, the Google Play Store defense systems have removed around 1,700 apps with the 'Joker' malware before they were downloaded by users." (Entrepreneur)
Read more: How to stop your phone from spying on you
The 'Joker' virus works with the objective to hack phone bills and give authorisation without the user's consent. How scary is that? And to think that they hide in common Google Store Apps that could be running on your phone right now...
According to researchers, "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 authorisation." (Entrepreneur)
Some of the apps that have previously been considered harmful and which were eliminated by the Google Play Store 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." (Entrepreneur)
"The recommendation for Andriod users is to check if they have any of these apps installed on their smartphone and delete them immediately, since the fact that they are deleted from the Google Play Store does not imply automatic uninstallation from the computers where they were downloaded." (Entrepreneur)
The below apps could also contain the malware, according to the cybersecurity company, Zscaler:
- Private SMS
- Hummingbird PDF Converter - Photo to PDF
- Style Photo Collage
- Talent Photo Editor - Blur focus
- Paper Doc Scanner
- All Good PDF Scanner
- Care Message
- Part Message
- Blue Scanner
- Direct Messenger
- One Sentence Translator - Multifunctional Translator
- Mint Leaf Message-Your Private Message
- Unique Keyboard - Fancy Fonts & Free Emoticons
- Tangram App Lock
- Desire Translate
- Meticulous Scanner
Image Courtesy of Unsplash Website