International police action against Android Trojans

An Android Trojan that infected random cell phones via SMS messages remained undetected for a year and a half. The banking Trojan also caused considerable damage in Switzerland, as the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland reported on Tuesday. communicated.

Millions of users worldwide fell victim to the malware. However, the perpetrators have not yet been identified, according to a statement from the federal government.

Various investigations were already underway in Switzerland in connection with a series of smishing cases (phishing via SMS) committed with the "Flubot" malware between April and July 2021. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland subsequently opened criminal proceedings against unknown persons in April 2022.

Through an SMS, the perpetrators spread a link to supposedly track a package. Those who clicked on the link installed the Trojan and allowed the perpetrators to access contact details, passwords, e-banking information, SMS and data from online accounts.

Now a strike against the malicious software succeeded. The international operation involved eleven participating countries. In Switzerland, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) were in charge.

Cooperation among states, authorities and business

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and Fedpol said they worked closely with cantonal police forces, the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), telco providers and the "Switch". As part of the joint operation, the Dutch police succeeded in disabling the spread of the SMS phishing malware and disrupting the perpetrators' infrastructure. However, the investigation of the alleged perpetrators is still underway.

Source: Federal Prosecutor's Office