We don’t like being the bearers of bad news usually, but it’s impossible not to warn you about crybersecurity analysts’ latest discovery. There is an Android malware out there that can destroy your phone – physically – in just two days #securemagic
The guys from Kaspersky Lab tested the menacing Loapi trojan virus in a controlled environment. They discovered that, two days after installing it, it managed to warp the smartphone device, deforming the cover. The virus, a “jack of all trades”, works by sucking all the processing power out of the device, damaging it permanently.
Loapi hides behind ads that are disguised as apps and wrecks havoc in hours from its installation. It sends spam text messages to contacts, brings up all sorts of ads and even subscribes to paid services in your place. That’s not the worst part, though; once you grant it admin permissions, it won’t let your install security apps to get rid of it.
Like a parasite, it lingers on your phone, depleting its hardware. What does it want? The analysts discovered that the virus has a module that mines cryptocurrencies. It’s able to do that with Monero, which is a new type of digital currency. It seems that the only thing it can’t do yet is to monitor the user’s activity on the phone, stopping at espionage.
This type of malware doesn’t stop until users notify companies like Google and Apple of its effects. So far, there haven’t been any indication that Loapi reached phone owners through Google Play.
Follow TechTheLead on Google News to get the news first.
