It’s not uncommon to hear about potentially destructive malware infecting Android devices. That’s one of the downsides of having such a fragmented operating system but there always are best practices that users can rely on to ensure that they and their data remains safe. A new Android malware has been discovered by a Danish security firm, the malware is capable of erasing the phone with a single text message.
Heimdal, the aforementioned security firm, has discovered this Android malware called Mazar. It sends text messages which include a safe-looking multimedia link. Opening the link downloads Tor on the phone followed by the actual malware. Downloading Tor first is a neat trick because it hides the actual source of the malware.
Not only is the actual malware capable of erasing data but it can even make rogue calls and send potentially damaging text messages. Heimdal is of the view that more than 100,000 Android-powered phones have received the Mazar text in Demark but it’s not certain whether this malware has expanded to other countries as well.
A little bit of common sense will go a long way. If you’ve received a text message that contains a link from an unknown sender it would be best to not click through otherwise you risk infecting your device with malware, and nobody wants that.