In the last year this issue has affected many people, you have surely heard that it has already happened to someone close to you. In 2022 alone, in Mexico, an average of 5 Trojan banking attacks per minute have been recorded. This increase is the highest ever recorded in the last six years, according to the Mobile Threats in 2022 report, published by Kaspersky. This increase is because we use cell phones more to access our bank accounts.
Mobile Banking Trojan Packages Detected
But first of all, what is a Trojan?
A Trojan in the area of cybersecurity is a type of malware or malicious software designed to trick users into executing harmful actions on their computer systems without their knowledge or consent. The Trojans are named after the famous Trojan horse that the Achaeans used to defeat their enemies in ancient Greece.
This Trojan is distributed through official and unofficial application stores that at first glance seems harmless. According to the report, Google Play contains downloaders for banking Trojan families, such as Sharkbot, Anatsa/Teaban, Octo/Coper and Xenomorph, distributed under the guise of useful applications.
These are the 4 actions you should take to protect yourself from Trojans:
1.- Only download applications from official stores such as Apple App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore, this is safer because these applications undergo rigorous testing.
2.- Check the permissions of the applications you use and analyze them before accepting them, especially high-risk permissions that are often unnecessary such as GPS, photos and contacts.
3.- Always keep your operating system and important applications updated as updates are available.
4.- Use a secure connection: when you access your bank accounts online, make sure the connection is secure. Look for the padlock in your browser's address bar and verify that the URL begins with "https://" instead of "http://." This indicates an encrypted connection.
Technology education is now basic for all of us who use mobile devices. At CyberLat we can advise your organization with various training and tailored cybersecurity solutions. Schedule a meeting with our specialists at contact@cyber.lat