The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a branch of one of the security agencies in the United States which just a few days ago publicized an announcement warning about new kinds of malware that are being seen too often on Android devices, as well as several tips to protect yourself from two dangers for smart phones: Loozfon and FinFisher.
Loozfon is malware is used to steal personal information that can be used by criminals in different ways depending on the victim. It can be a job offer for working from home that promises benefits—by simply responding to an email or a clicking a link with this type of content, it takes you to a website designed to force-install Loozfon on your phone. This malware steals information about the contacts in your address book as well as your own contact information.
FinFisher is spyware that is capable of taking complete control of your Android device. When it is installed, the phone can be controlled and monitored remotely no matter where the device is located. This virus can be transmitted to a smart phone when the user visits a certain website or opens a text message that is hiding a system update in the background.
To avoid these intrusions on your privacy, IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center) urges you to follow a series of advices and methods for your Android device, which are the following:
– When you buy a smart phone, the ideal thing is to deactivate features installed by default that you don’t use in order to shut the doors on possible attacks.
– It is better to have a phone with an operating system that encrypts your information to keep it from being stolen. Android versions 4.0 and up (Icecream Sandwich) have this feature, which can be activated in the settings.
– You should get informed about an application before installing it by looking at the user and developer comments to make sure it’s reliable, as well as understand the permissions that it’s requesting you grant it.
– Always use passwords for things related to your personal information or financial transactions.
– Always keep an antivirus active on your device.
– They recommend that you don’t take complete control of your device through rooting methods, as this process is usually done by exploiting the security and can open backdoors on your phone’s operating system.
– Be careful about which networks you connect to that you aren’t familiar with because they can be a source of danger.
– If you sell your phone, always be sure to delete your digital footprint to avoid future problems.
– Keep your phone up-to-date with updates, as these are precisely for avoiding flaws in the operating system, and therefore to improve the user’s privacy.
– Lastly, they recommend you use the same precautions with your phone as with your desktop computer when browsing the Internet.
