Be wary of Flubot warnings on your Android phone

Don't click on links that claim they can remove the virus

Earlier in 2021, we learnt of a new Android malware that was spreading across Europe. Flubot, as it came to be known, could steal login information, personal details and banking credentials.

The methodology involved sending an SMS to a victim, which once clicked on would pretend to be from a delivery service like DHL or FedEx. It will then prompt the user to click on a malicious link, fooling them by saying it was installing a tracking app for delivery. In reality, it was dumping the malware on your device.

Worse, once installed, Flubot could begin sending SMS messages to contacts on your phone, spreading the infection further.

Now Flubot is back, and it is praying on unsuspecting victims through fear. If you receive a message or see a notification about a potential security threat on your device, think twice about tapping on it. These messages are designed to take you to a malicious link, which pretends to install a service to remove malware, but in actuality, is the malware itself.

If you are seeing this page, it does not mean you are infected with Flubot however if you follow the false instructions from this page, it WILL infect your device. https://t.co/KrcPhCQB90

— CERT NZ (@CERTNZ) September 30, 2021

As stated before, Flubot can also spread among your contacts and in turn, take over their phonebooks to spread even further.

If you feel you have been infected by malware or clicked on a malicious link recently, then do not enter any passwords or login to any service on your phone. Immediately, factory reset the phone, only backing up data that is required.