Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – India warns its citizens about the dangers of malicious malware that can rob data on Android phones. The nasty malware is circulating in fake versions of the ChatGPT, Instagram, Opera Mini and YouTube apps.
The warning about the malware was delivered by the cyber security unit of the Indian Ministry of Defence.
A Remote Access Trojan malware referred to as DogeRAT was first identified by startup Cloudsek. In a warning from the Ministry of Defense of India, DogeRAT spread via social media in the form of fake versions of the ChatGPT application, Instagram, Opera Mini and YouTube. Some of the apps are wrapped in premium versions of YouTube, Netflix and Instagram.
“Once installed on a victim’s device, the malware gains unauthorized access to sensitive data, including contacts, messages, and credentials. [user name dan password],” reads the alert dated August 24, 2023.
HP and other devices infected with malware are taken over so that hackers can send spam, make digital payments without permission, rummage through files, take photos and record keyboard strokes. The malware also allows hackers to track locations and record voices.
Although the origin of the malware is unknown, a warning from the Indian government highlighted cybercriminals spreading fake versions of popular apps via Telegram as the initial spread.
India’s Ministry of Defense requested that government employees and officials not download mobile applications from third-party platforms or click on links from unknown persons. They also recommend that HP be updated to the latest software and install anti-virus applications.
CloudSEK previously declared an open source Java-based Android malware, targeting consumers in a variety of industries including banking and entertainment. Although initially only targeting users in India, CloudSEK stated that the malware was initially built for global users.
The creators of the DogeRAT malware, in a post on GitHub, stated the malware campaign was launched using a Telegram bot with the open source platform NodeJS.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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