PSA: Be careful what you download (New Android Trojan spotted in Google Play Store)

Not that this should come to you as a surprise, but owning an Android phone puts you at risk of running into malware. We always try our best to safeguard our readers from any malicious wrongdoings we come across, and it looks like we’ve got one more threat to add to the list. Mobile security firm TrustGo Mobile unearthed a new Trojan today, called FakeLookout.A, which hijacks personal information from Android devices and transmits it to a remote FTP server operated by an unknown malicious party.

The Trojan is hidden in an app called, “Updates” by Good Byte Labs, and is designed to trick users into believing it’s an update to the Lookout mobile security app. Since being spotted, the app has already been taken down from the Google Play Store, but it’s still important to note that it was there in the first place.

Even more alarming, TrustGo went on to call FakeLookout.A a “new approach being attempted by malware makers, which contains a Trojan file that targets multiple platforms including Windows, Mac, and Unix/Linux operating systems”. If you think you’ve been infected by this virus, TrustGo’s Antivirus & Mobile Security app for Android has been updated and can now detect instances of the malware, as well as help you get rid of it.

The moral of the story here, kids — be careful what you download. The growing popularity of Android has turned it into what the FBI is calling a “safe haven for malware”, so this is a real threat we’re facing here. It’s always best to make use of mobile security, especially when it comes to you without a cost.

For more information on Fakelookout.A, hit up the source link below.

Source: PCMag