Android worms are starting to show up, spreading from phone to phone via SMS text messages, using each victim’s contact list to replicate and send itself to more victims. We first mentioned this trend two months ago, and now Sophos’ Naked Security Blog is mentioning another new worm: Andr/SlfMite-A.
“Viruses and worms ha[ve] to make their own running, and they took the business of spreading into their own hands, automatically seeking out new files or computers to infect, or churning out emails with themselves as attachments or download links.
“That’s how Andr/SlfMite-A gets around, though it sends itself in the form of an SMS containing a web link, rather than as a self-contained attachment.
“So, if you allow yourself to get infected, you don’t just put yourself at risk, you immmediately put your top 20 contacts at risk, too.”
Source: Paul Ducklin, Anatomy of an Android SMS virus – watch out for text messages, even from your friends!, Sophos Naked Security, June 29, 2014.
Digging around on the Web, we saw that Andr/SlfMite-A also shows up on Windows systems. In addition, Sophos reports that while it’s texting your contacts, it is also downloading malware onto your Android Device: a “front end” for MoboGenie–the malware-ridden app that billed itself as an alternative to the Google Play Store.
Good anti-virus/anti-malware software for Android should catch the SMS text version. Sophos, of course, recommends the free version of Sophos Mobile Security for Android, but other reputable free software like Lookout Mobile Security should catch it as well.
And the moral of the story is, Think B4 U Click!