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Key Highlights Agent Smith virus infected 1.5 crore Android phones 2.5 crore users affected globally

Cybersecurity is becoming a big issue in today's digital world, with viruses, malware and spyware stealing our personal data and causing huge damage. While we're made to believe that most of these issues are under control, once in a while a report emerges that shatters the smokescreen.

Case in point is a new revelation by cybersecurity solutions provider Check Point which on Wednesday claimed that 'Agent Smith," a new variant of mobile malware, quietly infected around 2.5 crore Android devices globally, including 1.5 crore mobile devices in India.

The malware has been nicknamed such because of the methods it employs to attack Android phones without getting noticed. As Check Point explains, the malware displays advertisements and does not steal any data user data for now. However, that could change in the future.

The report explains that it spreads through unverified apps on third-party app stores, and once downloaded on a phone, it hides by changing its appearance by adopting a name like Google Updater.

As per Check Point, "Disguised as a Google-related application, the malware exploits known Android vulnerabilities and automatically replaces installed apps with malicious versions without users' knowledge or interaction... Dubbed Agent Smith, the malware currently uses its broad access to the devices' resources to show fraudulent ads for financial gain, but could easily be used for far more intrusive and harmful purposes such as banking credential theft and eavesdropping."

While generally spread through unverified apps, the code of Agent Smith once downloaded on the phone also seeps into popular apps like WhatsApp. After infecting these apps it then shows ads every time a user accesses these applications.

"The malware attacks user-installed applications silently, making it challenging for common Android users to combat such threats on their own... Users should only be downloading apps from trusted app stores to mitigate the risk of infection as third-party app stores often lack the security measures required to block adware loaded apps." explained Jonathan Shimonovich, Head of Mobile Threat Detection Research at Check Point Software Technologies.