It seems like there is a new kind of malware affecting Android apps on quite a regular basis, and the newest type of malware that is making waves is quite a nasty critter that is proving to be especially difficult to get rid of.
According to Symantec, the name of this malware is xHelper, and while the name might make it seem like a benign app that is designed to make it easier for you to use your device in some way, the fact of the matter is that it is a malware that can actually make it borderline impossible for you to use your device at all by sending you endless pop ups and notifications.
The truly surprising thing is that this malware is barely over half a year old, thereby making it obvious that it is something that you should take very seriously indeed. In the short span of time during which it has been active, this device has become one of the top ten kinds of malware currently going around according to MalwareBytes. It is estimated to be affecting over forty five thousand devices, and this might spread because of the fact that it is proving to be extremely difficult to get rid of.
Up until this point in time pretty much no attempt that people are making in order to get rid of the malware seems to be working to truly finish it once and for all. Even the usually effective factory reset, a last resort that almost always works, has not seemed to work so far. It seems like this is one of the first superbugs of malware, and similarly to how the last resort that is bleach doesn’t seem to kill superbugs, factory resets seem to be unable to get rid of xHelper which means something needs to be done quickly before the app spreads to more devices.
The security researcher over at Symantec suggest users to avoid download apps from unfamiliar sites or third party app stores, and only install apps from trusted sources.
Read next: Popular Travel Apps Found to be Highly Insecure
According to Symantec, the name of this malware is xHelper, and while the name might make it seem like a benign app that is designed to make it easier for you to use your device in some way, the fact of the matter is that it is a malware that can actually make it borderline impossible for you to use your device at all by sending you endless pop ups and notifications.
The truly surprising thing is that this malware is barely over half a year old, thereby making it obvious that it is something that you should take very seriously indeed. In the short span of time during which it has been active, this device has become one of the top ten kinds of malware currently going around according to MalwareBytes. It is estimated to be affecting over forty five thousand devices, and this might spread because of the fact that it is proving to be extremely difficult to get rid of.
Up until this point in time pretty much no attempt that people are making in order to get rid of the malware seems to be working to truly finish it once and for all. Even the usually effective factory reset, a last resort that almost always works, has not seemed to work so far. It seems like this is one of the first superbugs of malware, and similarly to how the last resort that is bleach doesn’t seem to kill superbugs, factory resets seem to be unable to get rid of xHelper which means something needs to be done quickly before the app spreads to more devices.
The security researcher over at Symantec suggest users to avoid download apps from unfamiliar sites or third party app stores, and only install apps from trusted sources.
Read next: Popular Travel Apps Found to be Highly Insecure
