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Agent Smith virus
Why is it in news?
- Aptly named, Agent Smith virus is taking over Android phones across the world. It has so far infected over 25 million phones of which over 15 million (over 1.5 crore) are in India.
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- Highlights:(1) Agent Smith spreads through third-party apps like 9Apps, posing as a genuine app.(2) Once on phone, it changes its name to something Google, like Google Updater.(3) It also injects its code into genuine apps like WhatsApp and Flipkart and then serves its own ads to users.
- Spread:(1) The virus, which serves ads on the infected phones, spreads through third-party app stores like 9Apps.(2) The information has been revealed by Check Point, a company that makes security apps and often provides guidance on cyber security threats.
- Future use for intrusive and harmful purposes:(1) Disguised as a Google-related application, the malware exploits known Android vulnerabilities and automatically replaces installed apps with malicious versions without users' knowledge or interaction.(2) Dubbed Agent Smith, the malware currently uses its broad access to the devices' resources to show fraudulent ads for financial gain, but could easily be used for far more intrusive and harmful purposes such as banking credential theft and eavesdropping.
- Advertisement:(1) At the same time, Agent Smith also starts injecting its code into the bits of other popular apps like WhatsApp and Flipkart.(2) This code is then used to serve more ads to users.(3) Given the way it works, detecting Agent Smith is very difficult.(4) The malware attacks user-installed applications silently, making it challenging for common Android users to combat such threats on their own.
- Solution:(1) Users should only be downloading apps from trusted app stores to mitigate the risk of infection as third party app stores often lack the security measures required to block adware loaded apps.(2) Ideally, avoid sleezy apps or gaming apps from unknown sources.(3) While installing an app, carefully look at the permission it is asking for.(4) Ideally, a gaming app should not ask for camera permission or photo app should not ask for network permission. Don't install an app if it seems dubious.
Source
The Hindu