Beware of Ghost Push Trojan
Did you hear about the Ghost Push Trojan that affects millions of Android devices these days? If not, here are the facts you should know about it and how to avoid it.
Ghost Push is a malware which is first discovered by the security researchers of Cheetah Mobile on September 18, 2015. Several thousands of new Android devices are being infected by this malware every day.
Cheetah Mobile, the Android developed reported that this malware affected the devices when users download apps from non-Google app stores. However, according to the report of users, it could intrude itself in several marketplaces including Google Play store. And, it is affecting several devices through illegitimate mobile advertisements aiming the unwary users through modified versions of popular applications.
Ghost Push hit several Android devices globally in around 116 countries and majority of Indians were hit by this malware. It seems that South and Southeast Asia regions are mainly focused by this malware developers.
Most of the main Android versions of devices starting from Gingerbread were infected due to this malware. Samsung, Micromax, Lenovo, Xiaomi and Huawei devices are some of the devices infected with this.
Unfortunately, Ghost Push is difficult to be removed by normal anti-virus software since it gains root access to the devices after its attack. The worst part is, it can take the full control of the device once installed and puts in many unwanted apps and runs advertisements. Some of them are paid applications and all of them are downloaded without the consent of the user. According to an estimate, the malware developers are gaining as much as 4.05 million dollars per day. So far, this malware infected around 40 famous apps including Assistive Touch, WiFi Enhancer, All-star Fruit Slash, Talking Tom 3, TimeService, Super Mario, Easy Locker, Privacy Lock and Simple Flashlight.
A special app to kill Ghost Push is developed by Cheetah Mobile. It is Ghost Push Trojan Killer app. Users can download it from Google Play Store to chuck out the malware. As the technology is progressing, the dangers associated with it are also growing in the same proportion. So, beware of apps while downloading them on to your devices like tablets, smartphone or computers.
References: Android Authority, Digit, Tripwire