The arrival of the Internet meant the appearance of new tools and benefits for users, but also greater risks. That is why here we will talk about Alien, the new malware designed to attack banking applications and their users.
What is malware?
Before defining what Alien is, you must first know what Malware is. Basically, these are programs that are designed to do harm or that their intentions are not as good as they might seem. They are programs designed to infect and affect users, servers, web pages, etc.
There are a large number of Malware today which are aimed at different malicious tasks. For example, there is malware that is responsible for spying on you, others that focus on information theft, and others that can hijack your entire computer.
Alien: A malware you should know about
Because the world of hackers and cybercriminals is rapidly evolving, it is common to find new malware every month. A perfect example is Alien, a malicious program that has jeopardized the cyber security systems of banks worldwide.
And it is that this malicious program is relatively new since it was recently detected by digital security analysts. Although its base is based on the Cerberus malware, one of the best-known and also oldest Trojans, Alien is new in its construction and operation.
Focused as a banking Trojan for Android devices, Alien stands out for having one of the greatest capabilities in malware. After infecting your device, this malware is capable of remotely taking control of your computer, as well as stealing a large amount of information from your computer and applications installed on it.
The risk is within its reach, which allows information to be stolen from more than 220 mobile applications. According to investigations, the infection has been found to be carried out via Phishing , fake apps and notifications, as well as SMS. It is important to remember what a Trojan is in order to understand how they infect computers.
The potential risks of Alien
- Password theft: The first thing you should know is that Alien has the ability to steal the passwords of more than 200 applications. This poses a risk, since it would have the ability to steal passwords from your social networks and banking apps.
- Information theft: In addition to having the ability to steal your passwords, Alien can also steal your information which means they can take your valuable messages and data. For cyber security experts, this represents a great risk, since many cyber criminals often sell such data to other hackers.
- Remote control of your device: Another of the great risks of this new malware is the fact that it has the ability to hand over control of your device to another user. That’s right, by executing it another person can access your mobile or tablet remotely.
- Deletion of applications: As if that were not enough, this virus has the ability to delete applications at its discretion. In other words, if the virus detects an application that is potentially a risk to it (such as an antivirus) it can delete it. In addition, it has the ability to replace authentic applications, which implies much more risk of theft and scams.
How to protect yourself from Alien?
One of the most recommended ways to protect yourself from Alien is to be careful with Phishing. You should always verify if that link you received by mail, that SMS or that application are safe and not a way to insert a Trojan horse into your device.
Another quite effective way is to install an antivirus or protection program on your computer. Today there are many options for mobile phones, in fact, here is the complete list of the best antivirus for devices that use the Android operating system. A good antivirus will protect your smartphone so that you can surf the Internet safely.
Using a VPN can also be a good way to protect yourself, since it creates a shield that prevents hackers from entering your computer. There are both paid and free options which makes having a VPN actually not that difficult or limited.
Finally, be very careful which networks you connect to, as public or open Wi-Fi networks can be potentially dangerous. An open network can allow hackers to leak into your devices and install a trojan for you. To protect yourself you can use an antivirus and a VPN for protection.
