Use Safe Text to Combat TangleBot Malware Nightmare

Posted October 06, 2021 in?News

Written by?John Shea III, Xpanxion Technical Writer

New Virus?Weaves a Tangled Web of?Dread?in Android Phones?

There’s a new bug in town and it’s called?TangleBot. It digs deep into your Android phone and compromises on a lot of levels.?It starts off?with a text message about COVID-19 information in your area or telling you about your COVID-19 shot?appointment. Once you click on it, it takes you to a place where it asks you to update your Adobe Flash. If you do, it?will ask you to do several things as part of the update and then it’s got?you, and?got you bad.?

Once in,?the mobile and email security firm?Cloudmark?that?recently?detected?Tanglebot?says?the malware?can:?

Make?and?block phone calls?

• It will do this in the background, probably to high toll call areas on behalf of the hacker.?If you try to call for help, it can stop your?attempt.?

Send, obtain, and process?text messages?

• This means it can spread to others’ phones in a text message that supposedly is from you.?If it responds to text messages, the hacker can pretend it’s you and have malevolent conversations with friends, family, and business associates?without you know it.?

Record?the camera,?screen, or microphone audio?or stream them directly?to the attacker?

• It will know what you look like, what you do and what you say, and with GPS, it will know where you?are at all times.?

Place overlay screens on the device covering legitimate apps and screens?

• It can fake your?regular bank account screen and copy your credentials, thus accessing the funds in your accounts.?

Implement?other?device?observation capabilities?

• It can use all the apps on your phone without you knowing it.?

Get Some Protection?

How do you protect yourself from this new bug??Practice?safe text. Only accept messages from source you know are safe.?Do not provide your phone number to suspicious?requesters.?Do not click on suspicious links in text messages.?Be careful with any apps you do download.?Read the install instructions and?prompts carefully. Look for information about rights?and privileges the app might request.?Be careful of obtaining any app from outside a certified app storer.?

If you did get?TangleBot?and you managed to get rid of it, remember that the?hackers can hold on to your financial information and other credentials and use?it for their benefit?at a later time.?So?the effects?and consequences?of?TangleBot?will linger a lot longer than when you had it.??

The moral of all this:?Be wary,?and very careful with text message reception.?

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