All Andro Phones: More than a million Android phones were infected by hackers

Thursday, December 1, 2016

More than a million Android phones were infected by hackers – CNNEspañol.com

(CNNMoney) – once again hackers demonstrate why you should never, ever, you have to download apps outside the official stores.

hackers were able to access more than 1.3 million accounts in Google –emails, photos, documents and much more– after infecting Android phones via apps unlawful.

The discovery made researchers computer of Check Point, a company of cyber-security. This Wednesday, Google confirmed to CNNMoney the nature and extent of the problem.

hackers were able to steal authenticators (digital tokens), and thus achieve access to the services of Google, as the e-mail of a person and his collection of photos. However, the company said that cyber hackers have yet taken advantage of that information or have it stolen.

android-hackers-infected-cell

The massive attack seems to be a strategy of enrichment criminal.

The Android phones that were infected were installed by other applications illegitimate in the same device to give them a high rating. In this way inflated the reputation of such apps, as explained to the researchers from Check Point.

Google already removed its official store applications illegitimate who benefited from this conspiracy of qualifications, as confirmed by a publication in the blog of Adrian Ludwig, head of Android security.

This malware also installed a software of misleading advertising that tracks users, which means a great attraction for those vendors are hungry for personal data.

Google also said it has blocked 150.000 versions of this kind of cyber attack.

however, the problem persists. 13,000 devices are infected, and hacked every day, according to researchers from Check Point who have traced this type of cyber-attacks from last year. In fact, named the campaign as "Gooligan".

Check Point has also created a web site, gooligan.CheckPoint.com so that people can check if their devices have been the victims of malware. Requires the e-mail address and Google gives you an answer to the user, in addition to offering the product to alarm "ZoneAlarm".

alternatively, Android users will also be able to check if you have downloaded the versions intromission of the applications that appear at the end of this article.

owners of smart phones will still be warning you to only download programs or applications from official stores: Google has the Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

however, some insist on visiting shops of unofficial applications, usually in web pages suspicious, only because they offer versions gratisy counterfeit apps popular.

"that’s why, it is not surprising that a malware widespread in stores don’t official to be able to create a real harm," said Zuk Avraham, the founder of another firm of cyber-security, Zimperium.

This Tuesday, Google reiterated that users should avoid downloading anything outside of Google Play.

According to Check Point, this is the list of the applications on potentially infected.