Tag Archives: zScaler

Searches for Pirated Content Lead to Pain and Little Gain

People love to try and get something for nothing, especially on the Internet where there’s all kinds of things available for nothing. But a lot of those free things are illegal and attackers have become very adept at taking advantage of users’ desire for free episodes of Gilmore Girls or bonus Dragon Ball Z content. Researchers […]

New “Porn Droid” ransomware hits Android

Researchers at ZScaler have discovered a new variation of the “Porn Droid” ransomware that affects Android devices.

Once the device is infected, the malware sends the user a message, apparently from the FBI, accusing the user of watching child pornography. It then demands a $500 ransom to restore the device to normal.

fake FBI alert

 

Infection:

After masquerading as a Google patch update, the malware then asks for a number of powerful permissions including “Erase all data” and “set storage encryption”.

Fake Google Alert

 

Clearly, the message is not from the FBI and the victim should not pay the ransom.

Porn Droid

 

How to stay safe:

Always check permissions

Apps are the lifeblood of our Android devices and make them the powerful and useful tools we know and love. Apps help us stay in touch with family and friends, guide us, educate us and sometimes simply entertain us. But how much attention do we pay when we install an app? In the case of this ransomware, an alert user would never have granted those permissions to an app.

For a list of permissions to look out for when installing an app, check out this AVG Academy video from Michael McKinnon.

Video

Make sure you check these app permissions

 

Have up-to-date security software

One of the simplest and most effective ways of keeping your device safe from malware such as “Porn Droid” is to have up-to-date antivirus protection.

By scanning links and attachments before they are loaded onto your device, security apps like AVG’s AntiVirus for Android can help keep your device free from randomware and running in top condition.