I make a call to you and leave a voicemail. You retrieve the message by accessing the voicemail feature on your phone.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I have to order some products online. I receive tracking that allows me to see where the parcel is on its journey to me.
Both of these scenarios are not uncommon. Thus, it is in this backdrop that I feel compelled to hereby make a Public Service Announcement (PSA). The sheer volume of enquiries I am now receiving in relation to these scenarios is unprecedented.
Here goes.
When you receive a random text from an unfamiliar number with numerous spelling errors asking you to click on a link to listen to a voicemail, then... don't!
Furthermore, when said link takes you to a site asking you to install an app to listen to your voicemail, then... don't!
You have never had to click on a link and install an app to listen to your voicemail messages before. Don't start now.
The Flubot malware that is currently infecting phones around the world relies on a human aspect that has often gotten us into trouble. Curiosity!
We know the text message is not a real voicemail, but it just might be and I wonder who sent it. I haven't ordered a parcel from freight company XYZ, but notification of my tracking information means it might be a surprise for me. We can't help ourselves.
One infamous computer virus relied on our curiosity. The worm wasn't particularly sophisticated in design but it was brilliant in social engineering. In 2001, a famous tennis star, Anna Kournikova, who had never won a singles tennis title, had undoubted global appeal to younger males. Spreading a virus with the bait that it may be an image of Kournikova was enough to send mail servers in to meltdown in 2001.
Six months after the Anna Kournikova virus wreaked havoc, a survey found that 15 per cent of people who received an e-mail that promised an image of Anna would still open it despite knowing that it may be a virus.
Back to Flubot. This malware specifically targets Android phones. Once infected, the contacts from your phone are used to repeatedly send the message on, hoping that people, seeing a familiar number, click on the link. This is clever from two angles. We are more likely to click on a link from a number we recognise and now your phone plan is being used to send texts.
Ultimately Flubot is trying to steal your money. An infected phone has an invisible overlay that will send constant information of everything you type in to your phone to the creators - including banking credentials.
Once infected, removal can be tricky. Either use an antivirus package or completely reset your phone. The malware will not allow you to simply uninstall. PSA finished.
If too much tech is not enough, 'Tech Talk by Mathew Dickerson' is well worth a listen - currently the number one Australian produced technology podcast.