Recently, there have been reports by Kaspersky that most malware attacks in Africa are from dating applications. These applications could either be from software applications or web applications. Since it’s good to love or be in a relationship, everyone is looking for where to find love. Only for them to discover that an online virus is stealing their money. Kaspersky has revealed that while locating a partner for a romantic night, the other matter shouldn’t be neglected. Also, stating that the other matter should be treated with care and proper caution.
Analysis has shown that around 2019, there has been a circulation of 275 threats under the pretense of advertisements. These advertisements appear in over 20 popular dating apps in South Africa. There have also been 4,451 malware attacks coming from those apps. Research also shows that 58% of all attacks are detected in African areas. Dating applications like Zoosk, Tinder, and Bumble often become an arena used to spread malware to smartphones.
How the information is gotten
The malware gets information from its users by bombarding them with expensive paid subscriptions or with unwanted advertisements. Kaspersky states that cybercriminals make use of Tinder as a cover for the unsuspicious activities. The effect of the malware varies; a malware hiding a button can download other malicious files to your system. Other malware that sends SMSs from your phone to adware, bombarding the user with several advertisements in which the user is not interested in.
On Tinder at first glance, a banking Trojan constantly requests Accessibility rights. If the users decide to provide their information, it gives the cyber-criminal full access to their bank accounts. With this, the cyber-criminal can acquire more information and also steal money from their banks.
Cybercriminal has also created fake copies of apps like Match.com and Tinder. These disguised applications also retrieve the user’s personal information or link the apps through a social media account. Cybercriminals can also sell this information to third parties, or feed on those looking for love.
“I want users to pay attention and use legal versions of applications that are available in all official application stores. And, of course, we wish you best of luck searching for the perfect date,” says Vladimir Kuskov, head of advanced threat research and software classification at Kaspersky
How to avoid a cyber-attack when accessing web apps
- Always know if your application permission on your smartphone is turned on and also understand what app is about to be installed on your smartphone.
- Ensure you don’t install applications from untrusted sources and disallow any installation from unknown sources.
- Study more about the dating website you’re about to visit and make sure you don’t reveal your personal information without much consideration.
- Try to find if the site has some reliable feedback, reputation, and online trace.
- Avoid disclosing more information to strangers online, find out if the person you are chatting with is real and not a fraudster using a fake profile.
By protecting yourself from cybercriminals, your personal information remains safe and secure. Nowadays, there are more apps available on the internet and with this, there are more cyber-criminal willing to get all your personal information for malicious use.
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