Hisham Sarwar
More than one million Google accounts are at risk because of the rapidly spreading malware. Older versions of the Android operating systems are more vulnerable to this virus as 13,000 such systems are being infected with this malware every day.
According to Check Point, the cyber security software company, a new malware named as “Gooligan” has been recently discovered to be tainting Android phones. Along with infecting phones, this malware is also known to be stealing email addresses of users.
This malware enables the attackers to access all the sensitive information from Google apps such as Gmail, Drive, and Photos once the users download Gooligan-infected applications or when they click to links present in fake messages. The cyber security software company revealed that once the device is hacked by the attackers, they buy applications on Google Play Store and write reviews pretending to be the phone’s owner.
Also See: Over Million Google accounts Breached by Gooligan malware
Older versions of Android which make up almost 75% of the users including Android 4 and 5 as well as Android Jelly Bean, KitKat, and Lollipop are most vulnerable to this malware. Check Point has now introduced an online tool to test your phone for Gooligan infections. You can easily find out the status of your phone by typing your Google address into the Gooligan Checker.
Android runs on third-part devices which makes them responsible for their own security. These are updated gradually therefore security problems are not rare for Android users. More than 85 million Android phones were affected with security breaches in last July. A malware infected the devices and generated $300,000 monthly in ad revenue. Another attack was carried out by hackers in August when through Google AdSense, Android users were targeted and all to their banking data was taken.
According to Adrian Ludwig, Google’s director of Android Security, many developments have been made to improve the security of the Android ecosystem so that users can be sheltered from such malwares. Such programs include cancelling of the affected users’ Google account tokens, giving them proper guidance to sign back securely and removing of applications from devices infected with this problem. In order to secure users from such issues, the company is organizing Verify Apps improvements and is teaming up with ISPs to remove the malware overall.
