Source:
https://scmp.com/tech/social-gadgets/article/1986730/china-among-countries-worst-affected-hummingbad-malware
Tech

China is among the countries worst-affected by 'HummingBad' malware

More than a million devices have been hit by malware linked to an analytics firm

Experts say resetting android devices to factory settings is more effective in getting rid of "HummingBad" than a simple restart. Photo: Chris Goodney/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

China, India, the Philippines and Indonesia have the highest "HummingBad" infection rates out of the 10 million Android devices that have been infected by the malware, according to researchers at Check Point, a cybersecurity software firm.

The report showed that China had more than 1.6 million infected devices, followed by India which had more than 1.3 million. The Philippines and Indonesia had about 520,000 and 489,000 infected devices respectively.

This malware, which was first reported about by CNET, gains administrative control over Android devices. It then generates fraudulent ad revenues and installs fraudulent mobile apps without the user's knowledge.

For users of Android devices concerned about this malware infection, there are simple steps that could be taken, said Michael Petit, Middle East and Asia head of mobility at Check Point Software Technologies.

"What Android phone users can do is look at their downloaded apps, and see if there are any apps they didn't install themselves," Petit said.

If the phone user detects anything out of the norm, the next step would be to reset the android device to factory settings, Petit says. He adds that a phone restart will not get rid of the malware.

"HummingBad" has been linked to a legitimate China-based advertising analytics firm called Yingmob.

Yingmob could not be reached for comments.

With the data collected, the attackers can even "carry out targeted attacks on businesses or government agencies, and even sell the access to other cybercriminals on the black market," according to the report.

Petit also warned against being too complacent about malware infections.

"Our increased reliance on smart devices in our everyday lives creates opportunities and motivations for hackers and malicious organizations to improve their techniques," he said.

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