New strain of technological malfunctions and viruses has disseminated themselves around the web, but few only attract attention and concern from the crowd. A new malware of android has been swimming its way around third-party appstores, disguising as legitimate applications, such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Candy Crush and any other popular and widely used apps, and would be almost impossible to remove. The user reports have been so grave that victims are usually advised to just purchase a new phone.
This new malware is described to root itself into your phone and act as a system function, making it impossible to remove. The malware is named Shedun, Shuanet and ShiftyBug, unknown download system level access that could not just mean spying and unauthorized download of ads into your phone, it grips into the inner system in the OS and acts like a part of it, making natural "anti-bodies" of our OS unaware of it until it is officially rooted.
User reports even said that resetting the phone doesn't help the situation and if the owner is an everyday user with not much of a techie background, he or she will most likely resort to buying a new phone. Lookout's Michael Bentley said "These malicious apps root the device unbeknownst to the user. To add insult to injury, victims will likely not be able to uninstall the malware, leaving them with the option of seeking professional help to remove it or simply purchasing a new device." People often cater to third party are often the go-to for apps that do not make it to the official markets such as the Google Play or Appstore for Apple. And victims tend to go there for localized and free apps that could easily be downloaded to their gadgets. However, it has been seen as a haven for unsafe and malicious apps that could get through the devices and access private data on the phone and accounts.
Even if Google has already made an action to previous viruses that lurk behind its play store, it has yet to comment on this issue. Users are advised to be vigilant and just download from official appstores of their respective OS.
