There's a new alert for those with an Android phone in their pocket and ignoring it will be costly. The latest threat, which was discovered by the security team at ThreatFabric, is using apps uploaded to the Google Play Store to infect phones with the dreaded Anatsa banking trojan.
Once installed on a device, this money-stealing bug sets about pinching credentials that are used to authorise users when they launch and log into mobile banking applications.
If successful, it gives hackers full control of accounts including credentials, credit card details, balance and payment information plus there's the nightmare of funds being transferred without the owner ever knowing.
Anatsa isn't actually new with this malware wreaking havoc since 2020 but this latest resurgence of the bug is now targeting Android users in the UK and the USA along with phone owners in Italy, Germany and France.
Threat Fabric says that it has seen a total of 5 new dropper apps appear on the Play Store in just four months with all posing as PDF reader software. One, named PDF Viewer - Reader & Editor, was downloaded over 10,000 times before its deletion showing just how many people could be affected and what a widespread issue it is for Android users.
All of the infected apps have since been removed by Google but if you think you have downloaded any PDF software this year it would be wise to check that the app was from an official source.
It's also worth checking all applications before installing them as some of the software banned from the Play Store has made a sneaky return a few days or months later.
"The latest campaign by Anatsa reveals the evolving threat landscape that banks and financial institutions face in today’s digital world. The recent Google Play Store distribution campaigns targeting US, DACH, and UK regions demonstrate the immense potential for mobile fraud and the need for proactive measures to counter such threats."
Here's the full list of apps banned by Google
• PDF Reader - Edit & View PDF
• PDF Reader & Editor
• All Document Reader & Editor
• All Document Reader and Viewer
