Beware! This Android Virus Automatically Subscribe To Premium Services By Obtaining Your OTP

According to a recent analysis by Microsoft’s 365 Defender Team, a kind of Android virus that can get beyond network limits and compel automatic subscriptions to premium services has been slowly gaining popularity worldwide.

The Microsoft cyber security unit explained how the particular Android virus is generally found in apps categorized as “toll frauds” and uses a feature called “dynamic code loading” to automate subscriptions to premium services that you never agreed on to.

This Android spyware essentially imposes subscriptions on your account, which are subsequently added to the monthly billing cycle of your telecom provider. As a result, your account will incur hefty fees that you will eventually be responsible for paying because the transactions were technically only authorized through your account.

The first thing that such programmes do is turn off the wi-fi network on a target user’s phone – or wait for them to be in a cellular network coverage area – since, as stated by Microsoft, the toll fraud virus breaches the wireless application protocol (WAP) through specific cellular networks.

Further Reading: Think Of These Top 7 Common Security Threats For Enterprise App Development

As soon as the device enters cellular coverage, the virus secretly and in the background mandates a premium account subscription. It then employs dynamic code loading, which sends web commands in response to automatic instructions from an app to direct you to the membership payment page even though you didn’t voluntarily choose to subscribe.

The malware intercepts and hides the one-time password you would receive from your notification panel while allowing subscription payments via your mobile network on its payment page. Additionally, it takes advantage of elevated system privilege to access this password, which you must input on the subscription page for the total cost to be charged to your network carrier.

Since the Google Play Store’s standards forbid apps with dynamic code loading—which cannot carry out automatic commands—such scams are primarily circulated outside of it, according to Microsoft.

As a result, be cautious when downloading apps from sources other than the Google Play Store because they frequently contain viruses that can steal money and personal information without your knowledge or consent.

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News source: 91mobiles