About Photo.apk is an application with a virus that is sent under the guise of a photo
 |
20 october 2024 обновлено yesterday
|
I have seen a “danger warning” on the news channels several times. They say that cunning and insidious hackers have come up with a new scheme to deceive gullible users of social networks.
A message comes from a person, for example, with the text: “Look, is that you in the photo?” The message has a file attached to it, which may be titled “Photo”, but at the end of the file name you can see its extension .APK, which indicates that this is a file for installing an application on a smartphone. Unlike a normal photo, this “photo” does not have a thumbnail for previewing.
The news reports that by trying to open such a file, the user immediately gives access to his data to the hacker.
Not quite so. Both so and not so.
If you install an application with a virus, the attackers will indeed gain access to your device.
There is no need to download and install such an application.
But an attempt to open a file from a message out of curiosity will not lead to the immediate installation of a dangerous application. By default, Android smartphones have protective barriers, and if you have not disabled them, they will work and warn you.
As an example, I sent myself a file Photo.apk in WhatsApp (screenshots below) and I try to open it in a conversation. A warning appears that it is not advisable to install this application. Then it is suggested to go to settings and enable permission to install the application from WhatsApp. Only after that the application will be installed.
That is, even if when trying to open a photo, the user sees not the opened photo, but a message about installing an unknown application, he has time to think better of it, to understand that something is wrong. You can simply click cancel.
If a user accidentally downloaded an .APK file but has not yet installed the app from it, it is likely not enough for the attackers to have gained access. However, the file should still be deleted.
If the user has installed the application from the .APK file sent by the attackers, then there is a high risk that the attackers will be able to penetrate the device through this application. The application should be deleted as soon as possible. And it is advisable to scan the smartphone with an antivirus after that.
Below are screenshots from a smartphone. I send myself a photo to make sure that a simple click on the file does not immediately install it. The Android security system is working and additional steps need to be taken. Sorry, the screenshots are in Russian, since I originally created the post in this language. But I think the meaning is clear without translation.
A message comes from a person, for example, with the text: “Look, is that you in the photo?” The message has a file attached to it, which may be titled “Photo”, but at the end of the file name you can see its extension .APK, which indicates that this is a file for installing an application on a smartphone. Unlike a normal photo, this “photo” does not have a thumbnail for previewing.
The news reports that by trying to open such a file, the user immediately gives access to his data to the hacker.
Not quite so. Both so and not so.
If you install an application with a virus, the attackers will indeed gain access to your device.
There is no need to download and install such an application.
But an attempt to open a file from a message out of curiosity will not lead to the immediate installation of a dangerous application. By default, Android smartphones have protective barriers, and if you have not disabled them, they will work and warn you.
As an example, I sent myself a file Photo.apk in WhatsApp (screenshots below) and I try to open it in a conversation. A warning appears that it is not advisable to install this application. Then it is suggested to go to settings and enable permission to install the application from WhatsApp. Only after that the application will be installed.
That is, even if when trying to open a photo, the user sees not the opened photo, but a message about installing an unknown application, he has time to think better of it, to understand that something is wrong. You can simply click cancel.
If a user accidentally downloaded an .APK file but has not yet installed the app from it, it is likely not enough for the attackers to have gained access. However, the file should still be deleted.
If the user has installed the application from the .APK file sent by the attackers, then there is a high risk that the attackers will be able to penetrate the device through this application. The application should be deleted as soon as possible. And it is advisable to scan the smartphone with an antivirus after that.
Below are screenshots from a smartphone. I send myself a photo to make sure that a simple click on the file does not immediately install it. The Android security system is working and additional steps need to be taken. Sorry, the screenshots are in Russian, since I originally created the post in this language. But I think the meaning is clear without translation.
