Surely many of you have installed the application of the bank where you have your account, or even an antivirus application. Well, what if I told you that a virus is spreading around the world posing as applications of this type? Is named krysanec, and even the Civil Guard is warning of the existence of this malware.
krysanec It is a virus like others, being able to take control of our smartphone, thus being able to access our information, but it is characterized by something main, and that is that it pretends to be legitimate applications. In fact, it does not pretend to be any application, but rather as apps that stand out mainly for being apps that one expects to be reliable, such as MobileBank: ESET Mobile Security. This last application is an antivirus app, and the last thing one can expect from this type of application is that it be a virus, precisely.
However, there is no need to be alarmed, simply know how to use our smartphone in a safe way. How can we avoid getting infected with this virus?
- Never install applications that do not come from Google Play: The Google application platform is one of the safest sources of applications, and the percentage of chances of installing an app with a virus that comes from Google Play is very low. Therefore, we never install applications that do not come from Google Play, unless our knowledge is of a high level.
- Do not deactivate the Unknown sources option: In Android there is an option that allows us to block the installation of all applications that are not from Google Play. This box is checked by default on Android. It is the one of Unknown Origins, and we can find it in Settings> Security. Check that it is checked. If you know about Android, you have probably deactivated it, or you will want to deactivate it to install an app at some point. You must be absolutely sure that it is a reliable app, and even so, try to re-activate this box, as this will always alert you that you are trying to install an application that is not from Google Play.
- Check the application developer: When you are going to install an application, it is often worth taking a look to see if the developer is trustworthy. If it is a La Caixa application, and it turns out that the developer is «devlabs», then we can conclude that this application is not actually from La Caixa. This is cheating, because some developers also impersonate the entity. But in itself it is a filter that must always be applied.
- Watch the permissions: An antivirus application does not have to have access to your messages, or it does not have to have the ability to make calls. Be logical with applications. Think about what they are for, and look at the permissions that they request just before installing. If you pay attention, some permission may not suit you. And in that case, check if there are already more users complaining about this situation. Here We explain the importance of application permissions.