Wishesh Magazine November_2018 Wishesh Magazine November 2018 | Page 107

These apps are accessible on the Android
Play Store and is similar to the banks’
original apps and customers might have
been lured into downloading and installing
these apps by offering some free samples.
These fake android apps have logo of
respective banks which makes it difficult
for customers to differentiate between the
fake and original apps, it said .The report
further said that the deceptive malware in
these apps may have stolen thousands
of customers’ account and credit card
details. When contacted some of the
banks mentioned in the report said they
have not come across any such fake apps
According to an Economic Times
report, the banks have not entirely
acknowledged that this threat exists and
only a few of them said they will conduct
an investigation. These banks have kept
the nodal agency, CERT (Computer
Emergency Response Team) also in the
loop. CERT may do its own investigation
as it does with computer security incidents
brought to its attention.
Yes Bank has said they have handed over
the case to their cyber fraud department.
The largest of them all, SBI is still, yet to
take action in any manner.
The interesting thing, if one were to go by
the report by Sophos Labs, is that some
of these apps were ‘too good to be true’.
Some of these apps carried malware that
was able to stealing other information that
the users might have stored in their phones,
like credit cards and other details.
The familiar, but a serious problem of rogue
apps finding their place in the Android Play
Store has been disturbing the cybersecurity
experts for long.
Google has taken some steps in recent
times in its and privacy and security
policy for app developers and some of the
permissions earlier granted are not being
effortlessly allowed now. But it is still a long
method before Google is able to clear out
its Play Store of all such wary apps.
The banks will have to work out their own
ways to stop this threat and set up some
steps to prevent customers from falling into
traps.
NOVEMBER 2018 | WWW.WISHESH.NET