As many as 16 apps responsible for stealing banking data have been discovered by experts, here are which ones you need to pay attention to.
Nowadays you have to use smartphones very carefully. In fact, scam and phishing attempts are the order of the day, by means of emails or text messages that try to steal sensitive data in order to empty current accounts. But despite the scams concocted, some applications can also be dangerous for our accounts. Let’s see how to avoid downloading dangerous apps.
Apps that can steal bank data, what to watch out for
Every day we hear about some new online scam designed to the detriment of perhaps distracted or inexperienced users, who end up giving in to the request to fill in fields required, apparently, by their credit institution. In reality, behind those messages there are scammers who have the sole purpose of accessing bank data to clean up the bank account of the unfortunate victims.
This type of fraud is commonly called phishing and involves the user reacting to a text message or email by entering sensitive data that his bank would never require.
More and more often, however, it happens that the account is emptied without any action on the part of the user.
How is this possible? The responsibility is to be traced back to some applications that can be conveyed in the theft of sensitive data.
The users most exposed to this type of danger are all those who are in possession of a device that has Android as its operating system. This is because the Play Store is equipped with a less rigid verification system than the App Store of the iOS operating system, proprietary to iPhones, which has a very restrictive protocol system for the acceptance of apps to be offered to users.
Precisely for this reason, putting a malicious app online on the Play Store is much easier.
Dangerous applications, how to spot them and what to do
Recently, a team of experts has found that there are at least 16 apps on the Play Store that are dangerous for users. But how can simple smartphone applications prove dangerous?
In reality, the way they work is just like a virus, that is, once installed they can open the doors to malicious people or take control of the device. This is possible thanks to a malware that manages to pass the security checks of the Play Store without any difficulty.
Among the apps that can be compromised by malware we find some very useful ones, such as Document scanner – Pdf creator. There are also applications that allow you to record calls, such as Call recorder pro+ or Call Recorder APK. But in the list there are also apps that are useful for the phone itself, those that allow us to free up space and make it work optimally, such as Simpli Cleaner, Lucky Cleaner, Extra Cleaner, Super Cleaner hyper & smart.
Once this type of App is installed, they are allowed access to sensitive data, including passwords. It is even allowed to launch an attack from within to perform harmful actions for the smartphone, making it effectively unusable.
To date, the 16 apps identified have been removed from the Play store, but it is not excluded that new ones may be added in the future. The advice is to always check what type of application you are downloading, check the manufacturer and protect your device with a good antivirus.
