It seems that 2022 will not be the year that Google Play is free of Android viruses. As we can read in Xataka Android , a new malware is infecting thousands of devices around the world, with Spain being one of the epicenters of the infection. His name is Xenomorph and his objective is to steal your bank details to remove the money from your accounts by making bank movements. The worst news is that this virus or malware is sneaking through Google Play , a supposedly reliable source for downloading apps.
Xenomorph infects your mobile via SMS and Google Play
In recent months this dangerous Android virus is reaching users through SMS. A massive sending of SMS messages can reach your mobile number with messages that supplant the identity of your bank. One of the banks that it usually supplants is BBVA .
The message indicates that you must certify a document, verify a non-payment or save an overdraft in your account. The link does not lead to the BBVA app , but rather to a ghost page that stores the credentials you have entered. With this information they can access your bank account to make movements.
These fake SMS are usually discovered by the vast majority of users, which is why the scam leaders are sneaking this malware onto Google Play. Several applications, specifically 28, are already infected with the virus and have been, or are, available in the Google store.
A simple installation is enough for this virus to infect your mobile and get everything you need to get into your bank account. It can read your SMS, read your keystrokes and control almost every aspect of your smartphone.
And yes, all this without the need to download apps from unknown sources.
Google Play has put the batteries, but it is late
Google Play has already deleted most of the apps infected with this virus, although some have accumulated more than 50,000 downloads . Moreover, according to Threatfabric , Spain is the country most infected by this Android virus in 2022.
At the moment the virus is not controlled, as it continues to infect terminals around the world thanks to the little control of the SMS that the authorities have. 2022 does not seem to be the year in which Google ends the most dangerous viruses in its application store.
As a user, you must be very careful with the apps that you install outside of Google Play , with Google Play apps that are not very well known, and with any SMS that comes from a bank.
