Android smartphones are the weakest when it comes to attacks from malware and Trojans. As compared to iOS, BB or Windows Phone OS, Android can be tweaked and the user can easily install a third-party application without going through any difficulties.
Third-party applications can cause immense damage by exposing your smartphone’s data to the outside world. A third-party application is not monitored for its authenticity and, once installed, it can send vital information from your device to the hacker, thus compromising on your privacy.
A new discovery has highlighted that ‘Android SMSSEND’ is a Trojan virus lurking around in the wild. If an Android device is infected by this Trojan, it can leak your data illegally.
The Trojan virus steals vital information from the Android-based smartphone and sends out random SMSes to random contacts in the contact list.
Additionally, the Trojan is known to invade with other Android applications to send out information via text messages to various international numbers, increasing your mobile bills. Apart from test messages, the virus also pics information and sends it across to the hacker. Information sent across can contain crucial details such as IMEI number, device ID, device type, contact list, pictures, passwords, banking information (when logged in) and a few others.
The virus also has the potential to install spyware, track location, crash the complete operating system, and even disable the firewall and antivirus to defend itself.
To save yourself from this threat, you should keep away from installing applications from unknown sources and always run a full antivirus scan on the system. Before installing any application from the internet, make sure you run through the list of permissions that the application asks. If you notice something amiss, avoid the installation. Make sure you have all Android operating system updates in place. Avoid using an unknown wireless network, especially if it is not secure. Lastly, never forget to take proper and full backups of your data, to avoid any data loss if a mishap occurs.
