Android threat: ‘Guerrilla’ virus sneakily snuck onto 8.9m phones

A new technological threat known as the Guerilla virus is menacing Android users, and it’s highlighting the glaring gaps in phone security.

Android security has always been a contentious issue, and here’s how the latest threat target users.

Android threat

A recent report by cybersecurity heavyweight Trend Micro amplifies this concern, indicating that many Android devices might come pre-loaded with malicious software.

This eye-opening report was the result of a deep-dive investigation into 50 different Android device models, and the findings were quite shocking.

The report revealed that a staggering 8.9 million Android devices had been compromised with malicious software.

But who was the culprit?

The Guerilla virus

This is where the Guerilla virus comes in. Sophos, another cybersecurity titan, tracked the source of the malware to what it describes as the ‘Guerrilla threat’.

After a meticulous trail-following operation, it was found that ‘Guerrilla’ had established its foothold within 15 applications on the Google Play Store.

And it does so in a deceptively simple manner.

How the Guerilla virus tricks you

The Guerilla malware sneakily opens a backdoor on your device, disguised as an ‘update notification’ within the host application.

Once this protocol has been established, it then enables harmful software to infiltrate your device. All of these actions masquerade as harmless app updates.

PC Risk explains: “In the past, Guerilla was actively spread under the guise of ordinary applications via the Google Play Store.

“However, the known malicious apps have long since been removed. The newest versions of this malware arrived pre-installed on various Android devices.”

It is also understood that these malevolent apps often target mid-range and lower-end devices.

How to tell if Guerilla fooled you

The effects of the malicious app are far-reaching. It impacts your device’s battery life, performance, and even the content of ads you encounter.

Devices infected with the ‘Guerrilla’ virus often grapple with fast-dwindling battery life and sluggish performance.

Users may also be inundated with irrelevant third-party ads. In some instances, you may also be shown obscene ads.

The highest incidences of infected devices have been reported in the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, and Russia; the status of other regions remain unclear.

How to secure you phone:

Regularly update your apps, and ensure you remove anything suspicious (in other words, an app you didn’t personally intend to install).

If all else fails, perform a factory reset to remove all unwanted applications. Remember to back up your personal data before wiping the phone’s memory.

PC Risk describes in detail how to remove the Guerilla malware from your devices.