this is what it is and how to get rid of it
For many people, cybersecurity is a far-from-their-bed show. As if it always happens to others instead of themselves. Still, it should be higher on your list of priorities: after all, you never know what someone is up to with your data and thanks to data breaches, your data is regularly out on the street. One of the major new cyber threats is Flubot. The police have now stopped the new distribution, but your device can of course still be infected.
flubot
Flubot is malware that puts a virus on your phone. That virus does not get there automatically, but often via a link that you clicked from a text or WhatsApp message. A well-known way to mask a Flubot is to pretend to be a parcel deliverer. After all, sometimes you no longer know which packages are coming your way, so it may just be that you do indeed receive a message from a package.
No matter how much we are warned about links, sometimes you do click on them. It’s not always on purpose, but once it’s done, it’s done. In the case of Flubot, malware is then installed on your phone that allows malicious parties to access the apps on your device. They then install fake apps that make you think you are logging into your bank, when in reality this is a hacker’s system. This allows him to steal your bank details. At the same time, Flubot gains access to your contacts and your friends, family and acquaintances are also bombarded with messages, wherever they potentially fall.
Boot phone in safe mode
If you have Flubot on your phone, put your phone in safe mode as soon as possible and if you see an app that you don’t trust, remove it. Have no idea how to find that safe mode? No problem!
- Press and hold your device’s power button for a few seconds
- Then tap the ‘Disable’ option for a longer period of time
- You will then be given the option to boot your phone in safe mode
- Choose that and your phone will start up in safe mode (note: it turns off first)
- Remove apps you don’t trust
If there really is no other option: factory settings
If you still don’t feel comfortable with it, you can choose to factory reset your phone. You will find this in Settings, but then it differs per phone where you will find the option. Sometimes this is under ‘system’ and sometimes via ‘general management’. Mind you, factory reset will delete everything from your phone and start over with a clean slate. Including logging in anywhere and losing all your photos, videos and music. It is therefore advisable to make regular backups of that data, so that a Flubot can hopefully strike a little less hard. Although, of course, it’s best to make sure you don’t have to deal with it at all, by carefully considering whether you can trust a message before clicking on the link.
Have you ever dealt with Flubot? Share your experiences below this post.
