Most of the articles I write about in regards to spam and virus infections are usually related to the Windows operating system. It is true that these platforms are still getting their fair share of virus infections but there is a new game in town. Hackers are now hitting the Android platform headfirst and infections are becoming extremely common. In the past, there have been numerous attempts at attacking the Android platform but the attacks were never considered to be wide spread. That is not the case anymore.

 

The problem with this new infection is that it comes from a simple text message. This simple text message that can be sent from someone you know that is infected will turn your phone into a miniature botnet sending out infected text messages to everybody in your address book. The bad news is that it does it relentlessly over and over again.

 

By comparison, I-Phones and Windows phones are not as likely to get these infections and are not targeted as frequently. The App store at Apple is much more secure and is monitored more closely then the Google Play store. Google does try to quickly remove any infected apps that it finds on its system. Sometimes they are not found until the damage is done.

 

In addition to the Malware that can send out spam text messages, there is also a version of the FBI virus going around that can attack Android phones. This Malware works in similar fashion to the PC version by locking down your phone with the FBI warning message. You would be surprised how many people think that this is a real warning and actually pay the ransom. That is what the crooks bank on. If you ever receive a warning on either your PC or Android device about one of these alerts do not attempt to pay the piper. It is most definitely a fake.

 

This Malware is usually delivered through malicious websites that you visit with your smart phone. It is part of the Koler Ransomware family of infections that targets your phone. I assure you that the message is bogus but it will lock you out of your phone and all of its applications. The Malware will tell you that you files are encrypted but unlike the PC version, the Malware cannot encrypt data that is on an Android device.

 

The only way to get past the lock screen is to restart your phone in safe-mode. To access this mode, simply press the power button as you normally would to shut off the appliance. When you see the shutdown or restart options appear. press and HOLD the power off or reboot button until you see an option to enter safe mode. When you see this option, click OK. When the devise restarts, you should be able to bypass the malicious screen. You can then search for the bad app and delete it off your system.

 

Once you have the bad app removed, be sure to download Malwarebytes to your device. Once installed be sure to scan your phone to be sure it is clean of any infections. Once you restart your phone into regular mode again it should be free of any infections. In addition, the real-time protection will help you to avoid bad apps in the future.

 

As you can see, you do not need a PC in order to get infected. You must use due caution when you are on a phone just like you would on a PC, especially if it is an Android device. Apple phones are also susceptible to infections but not to the degree of Android devices.

Article By, Ross Deprey and Joe Z