CopyCat Malware Infected 14 Million Android Devices

Lately, the CopyCat malware infected 14 million Android devices worldwide and is only spreading with every passing day. This makes CopyCat one of the most evident security threats for Android phones out there. If you also use an Android device, then you have come to the right place. In this post, we will let you know every essential detail about CopyCat and what prevention measures one should take to keep their Android device safe.

• Part 1. What is CopyCat and how does it function?
• Part 2. How to completely prevent CopyCat from infecting your device?

Part 1. What is CopyCat and how does it function?

You might already know that CopyCat malware infected 14 million Android devices till now. Though, the count is only increasing with every passing day. Most of the devices that got infected by CopyCat belong to various Southeast Asian countries. Out of the total CopyCat malware infected 14 million Android devices – over 8 million devices got exploited by attaining their root access. Furthermore, plenty of fraud activities were conducted on these devices that collected over $1.5 million of fraud revenue.

In order to know how to prevent your Android device from getting corrupted by CopyCat, it is important to understand how it works. Mostly, the malware enters through a third-party app store or a phishing scheme. Afterward, it automatically downloads essential packages and toolkit to root the host Android device. This lets the malware take a complete control of the device.

CopyCat injects a code into Zygote that lets it monitor and perform app installation. By performing fraud activities, it generates fraud revenue that gets transferred to the hackers. As of now, more than $1.5 million has been wrongly claimed by the malware attack.

If your Android device also has a few vulnerabilities, then it is high-time to fix them. We have discussed different ways to prevent the attack of CopyCat malware in the next section.

Part 2. How to completely prevent CopyCat from infecting your device?

Ever since CopyCat malware infected 14 million Android devices, various Android users are searching for different ways to keep their phones safe. If your phone has not been affected by CopyCat, then you should not take this for granted. Go ahead and follow these expert suggestions to prevent your device from any malware attack.

The 5 steps would help you completely prevent CopyCat from infecting your device:

• Upgrade to the latest version of Android
• Turn off third-party app installation
• Don’t open unknown links
• Only download trusted apps
• Backup your device

1. Upgrade to the latest version of Android

It has been discovered that CopyCat malware exploits five major vulnerabilities in Android. Mainly, these vulnerabilities exist in older versions of Android (like Android 5.0). Therefore, to start with, you should upgrade your device to a latest stable version of Android. This can be done by visiting its Settings > About Phone > System Updates and checking for a new software update. From here, you can simply install a new update without much trouble.

2. Turn off third-party app installation

You might already know that CopyCat mostly enters from a third-party source. In case if you have allowed your phone to install apps from unknown sources, then turn it off. Visit its Settings > Security and turn off the feature of "Unknown sources" that allows installation of apps from sources other than Play Store.

3. Don’t open unknown links

You should always follow this habit while using your phone. Most of the times, people receive malicious texts on apps like WhatsApp, Skype, WeChat, and more that are not sent from the original contact. By clicking on these links, you might make your phone vulnerable to a security threat.

4. Only download trusted apps

Even on a secure platform like Google Play, you might see an abundant amount of apps available. Before downloading any app, make sure that it is uploaded from a trusted source. Always check its rating, number of downloads, and read various reviews before installing it on your phone.

5. Backup your device

It is always better to be safe than sorry. Your phone might get infected by a malware or security breach out of the blue. To make sure that you don’t lose any data after the attack, you should make a habit of taking a timely backup of your device. Later, after fixing your device, you can simply restore your data.

Wondershare TunesGo: A must-have Android backup tool

In order to secure your device’s data from any unexpected malware attack, it is important to take its timely backup. We recommend taking the assistance of Wondershare TunesGo, which is considered as an essential Android backup tool. Extremely secure and reliable, it has an easy to use interface and is compatible with all the leading versions of Android (including Android 7.0).

One can simply use TunesGo to take a complete backup of their Android or iOS device. It supports a wide range of data files as well, like contacts, photos, music, videos, call logs, messages, and more. To take a backup of your Android device using TunesGo, follow these steps:

Step 1 Download TunesGo Android backup tool and launch it on your Windows or Mac. Afterward, connect your phone to the system and wait for a while for the application to recognize it automatically.

Step 2 Once you get a snapshot of your device, move to the "Toolbox" section from the menu bar and select the option of "Backup Device" under the Backup & Restore category.

Step 3 From the pop-up window, select the kind of data files that you wish to backup. You can also change the location where you wish to save your backup file. After making your selection, click on the "Backup" button to initiate the process.

Step 4 This will initiate the backup process. Simply wait for a while as TunesGo will take a complete backup of your data. After completing the process successfully, it will generate the following prompt. Simply click on the "Open Backup files" option to view your backup.

After taking a comprehensive backup of our data, you can certainly keep your crucial information safe from a malware attack. By taking the assistance of Wondershare TunesGo, you would be able to backup your device, restore the backup, and perform plenty of other tasks without much trouble.

Now when you know how the CopyCat malware functions and the necessary measures that one should take to prevent their device from it, you can certainly keep your phone protected. Go ahead and implement these thoughtful suggestions and educate your friends and family as well about the CopyCat malware.