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SpyNote, a Trojan horse thought to be dead in 2022, has risen from its grave to once again steal banking data.
Google has taken the lead and protection has already been put in place against the trojan. However, the return of this threat is a good reminder that you must always be careful when using your smartphone.
Why SpyNote is not like other threats
The difficulty in dealing with such a threat lies in the fact that SpyNote is not hidden inside another application. In this sense, it is not a traditional Trojan horse. Instead, SpyNote uses SMS phishing (also called “smishing”) to send malicious SMS messages to its targets. These messages trick users into downloading an .apk file outside of the Google Play Store, which then infects the device.
Once the device is infected, SpyNote tricks its owner into granting it more and more permissions. Then he hides so as not to be seen. With these permissions, SpyNote can record audio (including phone calls) and video, remember every click made, steal usernames and passwords used and track the location of the device.
In short, SpyNote has the keys to your kingdom and it can record all your information (including your banking details) and then send it to a cybercriminal who will use it against you.
“SpyNote is spyware that records and steals a variety of information, including clicks, call logs, information about installed applications, etc. It remains hidden on the victim’s device, making it difficult to spot. It also makes it extremely difficult to uninstall. The only way for the victim to get rid of the malware is to perform a factory reset,” says Amit Tambe of F-Secure, who analyzed SpyNote in depth.
How to protect yourself from it?
The best defense against SpyNote is caution: don’t click on links in text messages unless you know and trust the sender. And again, even in this case, be careful and check the authenticity of the links before clicking on them. Also, don’t install any apps outside of the Play Store. And, if you see random permission requests, be suspicious before committing them.
If you are not careful enough and SpyNote manages to infect you, you have two scenarios: at worst, your sensitive data is stolen and used against you; At best, you have to reset your phone to get rid of the spyware, otherwise you might lose data.
So, be careful with text messages that come from senders who are not in your contact list. The term “smishing” may sound funny, but it should be taken very seriously.
Source: ZDNet.com