All Android phone users told to 'stay vigilant' - ignoring new alert will be costly

Android users are, once again, being urged to stay alert and be careful before installing apps onto their phones.

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There's another new warning for those with Android phones in their pockets, and ignoring this latest alert could prove very costly. It appears cyber crooks are, once again, trying their luck at targeting Android phones and this time they are using an attack that's been branded "Crocodilus".

This threat uses a clever tactic in a bid to steal money, and it could prove highly lucrative for the scammers and very damaging for those affected.

According to the team at Threat Fabric, the worrying attack begins via adverts displayed on popular social media platforms. These pop-ups, which look highly convincing, encouraged users to download an app to claim prizes and financial incentives.

However, once installed, the app then sets about infecting devices with Crocodilus, and one of the scariest features of this bug is its ability to add names and numbers to users' contact lists.

"A key feature update is the ability to modify the contact list on an infected device," Threat Fabric explained.

"We believe the intent is to add a phone number under a convincing name such as “Bank Support”, allowing the attacker to call the victim while appearing legitimate. This could also bypass fraud prevention measures that flag unknown numbers."

It's a worrying scam that could leave users out of pocket if they drop their guard and aren’t aware that their contacts have been tampered with.

Threat Fabric is now urging all Android users to "stay vigilant".

"The latest campaigns involving the Crocodilus Android banking Trojan signal a concerning evolution in both the malware's technical sophistication and its operational scope," the Threat Fabric team added.

"As Crocodilus continues to evolve, organisations and users alike must stay vigilant and adopt proactive security measures to mitigate the risks posed by this increasingly sophisticated malware."

One good piece of advice is to download apps only from official online marketplaces such as Google's Play Store.

Before installing any software, it's also a good idea to check the developer and read the reviews as these will often give you a good idea of issues with the app before installing it.