Android Alert: 30,000 devices hacked and ordered to immediately disconnect them from the Internet

Be very attentive because a new cyberattack has put thousands of Android device users in Germany in check. The Federal Information Security Office (BSI) has uncovered an operation that affects more than 30,000 IoT devices, including mobile phones, tablets, digital frames and media players.

The villain of this story is called BadBox, a malware which comes pre-installed on the devices from the factory. Simply explained, here the user is not to blame for anything, since the virus comes as a gift.

The big problem—as if this were not enough—is that this malware is a cybercrime all-rounder. It can steal your two-step verification codes, create fake accounts in apps to spread fake news, and even turn your device into a proxy to do all kinds of illegal things with it. All this without you even realizing it.

But the thing does not stop there, because BadBox is also an expert in advertising fraud. It simulates ad clicks to generate fraudulent income while you are calm.

Alert in Germany for 30,000 Android devices infected with malware from the factory

As expected, the BSI has not stood by and has implemented a technique called sinkholing to cut off communication between infected devices and cybercriminals’ servers.

Now, How do you know if your device is infected? If you are a user in Germany, your internet provider will let you know. And if you receive that notification, the advice is clear: disconnect the device from the internet immediately. Mind you, this is just the first step.

The worrying thing is that this malware It is so well hidden and integrated into the firmware of devices that not even a software update could completely remove it. The safest, albeit drastic, solution is to return or throw away the device.

To protect yourself, although you will never be 100% safe, experts recommend opting for brands that everyone knows, verifying that the devices have security certification, keeping them updated and avoiding connecting them to unprotected networks.

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Tags: Smartphones, Tips, Malware, Android Tablets, Cybersecurity