What is RatMilad?
RatMilad is an Android Trojan that allows attackers to listen to victims’ phone conversations and download their photos. The virus is spreading under the guise of legitimate applications for generating virtual phone numbers, which are usually used when registering a large number of accounts in social networks and other online services. At launch, fake utilities request a large number of permissions, which, according to experts, should immediately alert users.
Malware requests access to the contact list, SMS message content, microphone, clipboard data, GPS and more. After receiving it, the application begins to collect information about the victim’s movements, record conversations, scan media files and send the results to the attackers’ servers. The latter use the information to blackmail users of infected devices, as well as to hack accounts in various services.
What should I do to avoid getting infected with the RatMilad virus?
With the growing number of mobile device users, the number of viruses has also increased. If earlier Trojans that change settings and infect other files (for example, Skulls for Symbian) were the most dangerous, then modern hacker developments are able to make the gadget stop turning on, deleting the information necessary for the OS. To avoid similar situations in the future:
- Prohibit installations from third-party sources in the settings. You will still be able to download games, movies, music, books, programs from the Play Market store, files in which are manually and automatically checked;
- Download the antivirus. Do not abuse this point – just one such application is enough, simultaneous use of several will cause the device to slow down;
- Check the permissions of the existing software, remove the checkboxes from the “Change system settings” item for services that do not belong to reliable publishers, such as Google.
Recommended Anti-malware tool:
Try Norton
Norton Mobile Security protects your Android smartphones and tablets from malicious and potentially dangerous applications, theft or loss of information, fraudulent websites created to steal personal data or money, and other threats.
Reset to Factory Settings
It will not be so easy to remove the application from the device. Definitely, it is necessary to reset the device to factory settings. Keep in mind that this will lead to the loss of personal data. Before performing the procedure, perform a backup.
- Start up your device in Recovery Mode using previous instruction
- Select the “Factory Reset” option, a notification will appear that it is impossible to reverse the changes;
- After completing the process, restart the phone by clicking on “Reboot“.