I shoulda gone to Apple!

Malware threatens millions of smartphone users
A sophisticated malware attack on the Australasian banking sector could see unwary banking app users fleeced.

Millions of users of Android phone and tablets are at risk of having their bank accounts cleaned out and their identities stolen by a virulent malware attack that is targeting customers of the big four banks.

Other institutions under fire include Bendigo Bank, St George Bank, Bankwest, ME Bank, ASB Bank, Bank of New Zealand, Kiwibank, Wells Fargo, ecommerce interfaces like PayPal, eBay, Skype, WhatsApp and several Google services.

Nick FitzGerald, senior research fellow with digital protection company ESET, said he and fellow researchers “detected the malware in late January after it got flagged by our security systems”.

Take care with phone banking. Photo: AAP

The malware potentially puts millions of app users at risk and Mr FitzGerald described it as a “significant attack on the banking sector in Australian and New Zealand”, affecting big four banks ANZ, Commonwealth, Westpac and NAB.

How to protect yourself

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