Indian Government Warns Of Malware Attacks Targeting Android Users

Illustration of malware attacks (photo: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Controller General of Defense Accounts, a department at India's Ministry of Defense, warned its citizens against malware attacks targeting Android users.

It says the million that this so-called DogeRAT trojan is capable of accessing sensitive data and enabling hackers to control infected Android devices.

This DogeRAT has actually been discovered for the first time by cybersecurity startup CloudSek, which states that the malware targeting Android users is mostly located in India.

Dogerat is also distributed through social media and messaging platforms as legitimate applications such as ChatGPT, Opera Mini and even as a 'premium version' of YouTube, Netflix, and Instagram.

"After installing on the victim's device, the malware gained unauthorized access to sensitive data, including contacts, messages, and banking credentials," reads a warning from CloudSEK last August, according to TechCrunch.

This malware can confiscate infected devices, allow hackers to spam, make unauthorized payments, change files, and even take photos and also track user locations.

Although the origin of the threat remains unknown, India's Ministry of Defense has asked its departments and officials not to download apps from unverified third-party platforms and not to click on links from unknown senders.

They are also advised to always update their smartphones with the latest software and security patches and install antiviral apps.