Ten Million Androids Are Infected by Malware. Here’s How to Safeguard Yourself.

Whether you’re a victim or not, heed these precautions

July 6, 2016 9:00 am

In a development that will do nothing to rid iPhoners of their collective superiority complex, it’s been revealed at least 10 million Androids have been infected by a strain of Chinese malware called HummingBad.

After gaining access to Androids with “drive-by download attacks” that launch when users visit certain websites, the program uses administrative-level access to download apps and clicks ads, according to a report from cybersecurity software firm Check Point.

In addition to generating up to $300k in fraudulent advertising revenue per month, the group behind HummingBad can also sell information from and access to infected phones.

While only about 287,000 U.S. Android users have infected devices (the overwhelming majority of victims are located in China, India and the Philippines), there is something you can do to protect yourself from the hack attack.

(If you’re one of the unlucky 287,000, we’ve got bad news … factory reset.)

Up to 90 percent of the infected devices are running the outdated KitKat and Jelly Bean operating systems, so all you have to do to prevent an infection is make sure your phone is updated. Upgrade to Lollipop or Marshmallow if you haven’t already, and when Google drops the Nougat OS later this year, get that.

Mmmm, nougat.

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