Delete this productivity app NOW
Like millions of other Americans, you probably made a few resolutions entering the new year. If you want to start 2023 right, include better cybersecurity on your to-do list.
Start by deleting these five redundant apps from your smartphone. That’s just the beginning. A productivity app that made its way to an official app store was recently caught hiding malware. It’s designed to steal banking credentials to rip you off. If you have it on your device, remove it ASAP!
Read on for details on this sneaky app and a few ways to stay protected.
Here’s the backstory
Some people look to productivity apps to simplify their lives. They can make it easier to stay on top of essential tasks in your life. The problem is productivity apps are primary targets for cybercriminals as they use them to spread malware.
That’s precisely what happened with a recently discovered malicious app that was available on the Google Play Store. Researchers with the Zscaler ThreatLabz team found a productivity app called Todo: Day Manager was spreading the Xenomorph banking Trojan.
Once downloaded, the app asks for access permissions, one of which adds itself as an administrator. This prevents you from disabling Device Admin on the phone. With elevated privileges, the app has complete control over your data.
Not only does the banking Trojan steal financial account credentials, but it can also intercept text messages. That means criminals have access to two-factor authentication (2FA) codes for the accounts you have enabled 2FA.
What you can do about it
The best defense against malicious apps is to only download applications from official app stores and never from third-party libraries, as they often contain viruses. Third-party app stores don’t have the security protocols you’ll find with Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
This malicious app was in the Google Play Store, but it’s not the norm. If you installed the Todo: Day Manager app on your Android device, delete it immediately!
Here’s how to delete any app from your Android phone:
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Malware comes in many different forms. But it always has the same objective. To rip you off.
If you think you have a device infected with malware, you must remove it ASAP. Tap or click here for steps to remove malware from your phone or computer. Better yet, we all need to take preventative measures to avoid malware before it’s too late.
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Due to how the OS is coded, it is easy to create apps and malware that impact millions. Couple that with the prevalence of banking apps in the Android ecosystem, and you have a disaster waiting to happen. Unfortunately, a new group of malicious apps has been discovered.
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