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Faux Instagram malware targets Android users


Users of mobile devices running Google's Android operating system may have to think twice before downloading a supposed free follower app for Instagram.
 
Security vendor Trend Micro said the malware, dubbed as ANDROIDOS_GCMBOT.A, can be used to launch malicious webpages or send messages from the device.
 
"Be careful of who you add. If your account is set on private, take note of the people in your follower request list. Check if they post the 'Get Free Followers!' photo. That should already be a red flag," it said.
 
The fake Instagram accounts usually use repetitive names like “Tawna Tawna” and “Concetta Concetta,” it added.
 
Users who click on the links may end up downloading malicious apps, it warned.
 
"As an extra precaution, always double-check posts on your social media accounts, even if they come from friends, family members, or known acquaintances," it added.
 
Trend Micro said such malware is the work of cybercriminals who "profit from these survey scams via ad-tracking sites, which users are redirected to before the actual survey page."
 
"They can also use the data gathered from these scams by either peddling them to other cybercriminal groups or using them in their future schemes,” it added.
 
Also, Trend Micro noted cybercriminals behind such scams are "jumping on every popular networking site and potential engineering hook, so caution is your best defense.” — TJD, GMA News
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