New Android-malware Perkele intercepts messages

Discovered a new virus program that intercepts incoming sms-messages with the use of mobile devices running Android. Independent expert on computer security Brian Krebs found on one of the online forums offering for sale a program that forwards incoming sms text organizers virus attack, "merging" confidential user information - for example, the data for online banking.

Part of banking institutions in many countries, a two-level authentication - the client to confirm the payment, not only need to enter the password, but also a special sms-code.

Virus Perkele (program name translates as the Finnish obscene expletive) works in conjunction with other malware that installs a virus and replaces the instructions on the Web page of the payment - as a result the user is asked to install on the phone, "a special program to secure Android», under the guise of which the hidden Perkele.


Analyzing the data for the last year, experts on anti-virus security agree: leader in the number of attacks is running Android. Given the capabilities of mobile devices and Android-increasing number of users, many experts predict a further rise in popularity of this operating system have cybercriminals.

Finnish antivirus vendor F-Secure has recently published a report according to which in 2012 open source operating system Android has shown rapid growth not only in popularity, but by the number of produced malware. In 2012, Android has become a target for 79% of produced malicious software. A year earlier the rate was 65%.

Only in the fourth quarter, the share of Android had 96 brand new viral families, and with the variants of malicious codes, the number of new threats in the hundreds. F-Secure notes that in the last quarter of 2012, the most popular Android-malware are various codes that perform certain operations with SMS-messaging and premium SMS-numbers. Of the 96 new families of 21 was focused on the secret SMS messages sent to short numbers.

Are also gaining popularity among virusopisataley and relatively new SMS-malicious programs, which themselves create short messages and use social engineering to mislead users and in some way to force him to make a payment to the fraudsters. Also quite popular are the malicious code steals mobile banking details and pass them to the background fraudsters.

Somehow to reduce the risk, We advises users to regularly update their Android-devices, and regularly update anti-virus software and scan your system for the presence of malicious code in the smartphone.