Watch out for this Android malware that can wipe your device after stealing your data

Every now and then, we hear about new Android malware making its rounds. This is an unfortunate part of technology where there are always people who are looking to exploit security flaws for personal gain.

That being said, there is a new one that you might want to keep an eye out for. This is according to a report from security firm Cleafy where they have revealed there is a new BRATA variant that has been discovered. For those unfamiliar, BRATA is an Android malware that has actually been around for a while now, but for some reason we just can’t quite seem to shake it.

This new variant has been updated where it is capable of evading antivirus scanners and it also appears that factory resetting your phone does nothing to get rid of it. Much like its predecessors, it has been designed to steal information, such as bank login details by overlaying pages for specific banks to trick people into entering sensitive information.

It can also be used to remotely wipe your device as a kill-switch so that users will lose all their data in the process, but also as a way for the malware to prevent itself from being dissected because apparently the kill-switch can also be activated if it suspects it is being used in a virtual environment.

That being said, there are ways of protecting yourself against malware in general, such as not downloading apps from sources that you aren’t familiar with. You can also avoid opening suspicious links in emails or visiting shady websites. While not exactly foolproof, it will go a long way in protecting yourself.

Source: XDA Developers