If only there were an app for blocking malware, viruses and other hacking tools, using the Internet and downloading data would be a lot less scary. One recent threat targeted the contact lists of people who download a particular app from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Adroid Market.
The app in question is called “Find and Call.” It masquerades as a mobile phone book app; however, when someone downloads the Find and Call app to his mobile phone, his phonebook is hacked and uploaded to a remote server. The hacker then sends spam text messages to everyone in the user’s phonebook and provides a link for recipients to use to download the app to their phones, too. Something else the app did, according to Denis Maslennikov of Kaspersky Lab was to allow users to “enter their social networking and email accounts and asked them to transfer money from their PayPal accounts to a company in Singapore called “labwealth.com.”
Because the user’s own phone number appeared in the from field of the text message, recipients believed that the message came from a trusted friend, colleague or relative. For the average individual, this might not be so devastating, but for a business professional, it could spell disaster. Why? If a colleague or client clicks on the link and downloads the malware, it could ruin the reputation of the presumed sender.
In order to succeed in business, you must engender trust in your team and your clients. If that trust gets destroyed by a malicious app that, indirectly, came from you, even if your reputation recovers, your business or career may not.
Apple and Google have each removed the malware from their marketplaces. Those who have the Find and Call app should remove it from their phones immediately. Anyone who’s received a message inviting her to download Find and Call should delete it right away.
