Cunning banking Trojans: download a useful application and have no money on your card

Analysis of mobile threats in the past year showed a tremendous increase in the activity of adware and malware that robs users’ mobile banks. We are talking about banking Trojans, the so-called “bankers” aimed at stealing money through users’ mobile banking. According to Kaspersky Lab, the increase in bank Trojans was 100% compared with 2019, in total more than 156 thousand instances of such viruses were detected.

Adware viruses showed an even greater increase, but it is banking Trojans which pose the greatest danger to users. Adware is just annoying with obtrusive spam although there is a chance to make things worse by accidentally clicking on malicious banners , but bankers are a real threat.

In the vast majority of cases, the victims of banking Trojans are owners of smart phones on Android: the top 4 most common malicious programs in 2020 are GINP, Cebruser, Ghimob and Cookiethief. Most often users download such Trojans themselves, mistaking them for useful applications. Other delivery channels for viruses are phishing SMS and messenger messages with a malicious link or letters in the mail containing an attachment.

How banking Trojans work?

First, when launching a banking application, the Trojan can display its own interface on top of the real one and steal all mobile banking login data. Second, the virus intercepts SMS with one-time passwords. Thus, in combination with the first feature, it can instantly “self” allow the transfer of money to the intruder.

How to understand if your phone is infected with a banking Trojan? Unfortunately, most often it is too late to realize it, when the money has disappeared from your account.

How to protect your mobile bank from Trojans?

To avoid this nuisance, you need to be careful and follow preventive measures, thus minimizing the risk of jeopardizing your mobile bank.

Digital security rules from experts at the Roskatchestvo Center for Digital Expertise:

Do not download files from unknown sources including messenger links or install applications from unofficial stores. Don’t install apps if you are asked to do so on the phone no matter who the person claims to be .

● Always pay attention to the permissions requested by the application being installed. Banking Trojans need two permissions: displaying over all windows and access rights for SMS, so be especially careful with the applications that ask for these permissions.

Use a mobile bank application, not a mobile or desktop version there are a lot of phishing pages in the Internet that imitate bank sites . If you need to

to use the desktop version, enter the address in the line manually, rather than select the result from the browser tabs.

Do not use public Wi-Fi to access your mobile bank or pay for purchases. Use a mobile Internet service from your operator or a paid VPN service that encrypts your data.

Pay attention to the amount and details of transaction that are contained in the SMS from the bank. Do not disclose SMS codes to anyone.

Install an antivirus on your phone, update it regularly, and scan the files on your phone.

Anton Kukanov, Head of Roskachevo Digital Expertise Center

“Don’t download every app you like indiscriminately – today it’s the same as bringing home anyone off the street or trusting strangers with your possessions. Only “verified guests” should have access to your device – mobile applications from official stores App Store, Google Play Market, Huawei AppGallery that have high ratings, positive reviews and a large number of downloads. But this is not a cure-all either. That’s why Roskachevo conducts independent research of mobile applications of socially important categories and informs consumers which programs are the best and safest”