‘Charger’ Ransomware – How it Raised Risk on Google Play Store

Google Play Store, the official marketplace for Android apps was recently gotten by the malicious Ransomware called as ‘Charger’ in one of the apps known as Energy Rescue. The ‘Charger’ malware calls and raises the risk by stealing all the contacts, messages and other sensitive credentials from the infected device and then gains administrator’s access to lock the device so that a victim is unable to use their device. Ultimately, the victim has to pay a ransom of approximately $180 in the form of 0.2 bitcoins so as get the data back. The message is displayed as-

“You need to pay for us. Otherwise, we will sell a portion of your personal information on black market every 30 minutes. We give 100% guarantee that all files will restore after we receive payment. We will unlock the mobile device and delete all your data from our server! Turning off your phone is meaningless, all your data is already stored on our servers! We still can sell it for spam, fake, bank crime, etc. we collect and download all of your personal data. All information about your social networks, bank accounts, credit cards. We collect all data about your friends and family.”

Though Google has removed the Energy Rescue app containing ransomware from the Play Store, however, the probability of such threats appearing in the near future raises the need to stay more alert than ever.

Ransomware Prevention

Small to big names have become victims of these attacks, but don’t fear, you aren’t totally at the mercy of hackers. With some useful tips, you can prevent such serious threats. Let’s take a look-

Think twice before downloading or opening unsolicited sites

Websites that illegally promises for a free or cheap software might trick you into ransomware scams.

Don’t interact with spam emails

By clicking on suspicious emails or links sent by an unknown invites ransomware or other malware. Make sure to delete spam emails immediately.

Get a backup of your data regularly

Back-up of your data helps in protecting it against malicious attempts. Paying thousand dollars as ransom to hackers is certainly better than investing on efficient data backup techniques.

Get latest security patches on your device

Malicious intruders are always hunting for weak spots or vulnerabilities in your system. When your device contains the latest security patches, it gives the cyber hackers very few options to infect your device from Ransomware. Therefore, patch your device with latest mobile security.

Stay Safe!