What is Goldoson Malware? How can you protect yourself?

It's hard to imagine life without your favorite apps; Apps offer many benefits, from facilitating communication to managing finances and everything in between. While apps make our lives easier, they are also a prime target of malware, posing a serious threat to our privacy and security.

An example of malware is Goldoson. The malware has infected more than 60 legitimate Google Play apps, which have been downloaded more than 100 million times in total.

What is Goldoson Malware?

Goldoson is a piece of malware that, when added to the app, can collect data on installed apps, Bluetooth and WiFi connected devices, and the user's GPS location.

Goldoson is a malware component of a third-party library that some apps use, which developers have inadvertently added to their apps, according to Techzine.

Some of the infected apps include Compass 9: Smart Compass, Pikicast, GOM Player, Money Manager Expense & Budget and L.POINT with L.PAY.

How does Goldoson Malware work?

When an infected application runs, the malware will secretly register the device and receive instructions from a remote server on what to do next. These instructions contain information about what Goldoson may collect from the device and how often it will collect it.

Collected data is periodically sent to a remote server, where the data can be exploited for malicious purposes. This data may include what other services are used on the Android device, what other devices are connected to the phone, and the location of the smartphone.

 

Goldoson may also commit ad fraud by clicking on ads in the background without the user's knowledge or consent.

How to protect yourself from malicious apps and malware on Android?

Protecting your device and personal data from malware is more important than ever. Here are some recommendations to protect yourself from malware on mobile devices.

Delete or update the app

The operating system and apps installed on your smartphone are potential entry points for hackers to gain access to your device. To remove malware from your device, uninstall infected apps, remove any apps that are no longer available on the Google Play Store, and update the rest of your apps.

Whenever you delay updating your apps, you make your device more vulnerable to attacks. Updating an application to the latest version often improves its performance and fixes security holes that malware can exploit.

 

Keeping your operating system up to date to protect against malware is also important, but remember to back up your files first. Android versions 11 and above have improved security features that help prevent malicious apps from collecting information on other installed software.

Minimize the number of installed apps

The more apps you install, the higher the chance of having both malicious and unused apps on your device. One of the most effective ways to prevent malware is to take precautions, such as not downloading apps you don't need.

Keeping an unused app on your device creates an opportunity for hackers to exploit it. Additionally, unused apps, especially if they run in the background, can consume storage and memory (RAM), causing your device to slow down or malfunction.

Download apps from a trusted source

Avoid downloading apps from unknown sources. Third-party app stores are more likely to host apps that are infected with malware because these apps usually don't have to meet minimum safety standards. That's unlike apps on major app stores like Google Play, which are moderated by Google and are more likely to be secure (though that's not 100% secure).

If you decide to download third-party apps, do your research thoroughly first to avoid downloading malicious apps. You should also choose apps from reputable developers and look at ratings and user reviews before installing anything.

Install antimalware on all devices

Installing and running reliable anti-malware software for your device can help prevent malware infections. If you download and open a malicious application, antimalware software can prevent infection.

For example, paid mobile security solutions like Malwarebytes Premium can detect and remove malware before it causes harm. While you can also use free antimalware solutions, they are not always reliable.

Turn on Google Play Protect

Google Play Protect is a built-in antimalware protection program that always runs in the background to keep your Android device, apps and data safe.

Google Play Protect leverages Google's machine learning algorithms and is enabled by default. It automatically scans the entire system, including installed applications, for malware, removes malicious applications, and warns you about applications you have not used in a while so you can uninstall them. install them. Despite these capabilities, tests show that Google Play Protect is largely ineffective as it tends to allow a lot of malware to bypass its defenses. However, using Google Play Protect is also better than nothing.