All Android-fanatic Entrepreneurs Beware! This Malware Can Corrupt Your Data Gooligan potentially affects devices and steal email addresses on Android 4 (Jelly Bean, KitKat) and 5 (Lollipop).

By Nidhi Singh

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Asif Islam / Shutterstock.com

If you're a budding entrepreneur, your smartphone is all you need to increase productivity in your organisation. There are number of Android apps that are designed to help entrepreneurs follow their roles easily.But Android users beware of this new malware and keep your smartphone safe.

A newly found malware "Gooligan', uses Google credentials on older versions of Android to generate fraudulent installs of other apps.Security firm Check Point software technologies discovered and reported this malware thats infecting more than 1 million Google accounts .

Gooligan potentially affects devices and steal email addresses on Android 4 (Jelly Bean, KitKat) and 5 (Lollipop). About 57% of these devices are located in Asia and about 9% are in Europe.

How does the Googlian campaign affect the Android devices ?

  • Steal a user's Google email account and authentication token information
  • Install apps from Google Play and rate them to raise their reputation
  • Install adware to generate revenue

Once the infection starts, the rooted device will download an infected app from the third party app store.On being installed by the user, it further downloads a root exploit like Towelroot to gain full access to the device. The malware copies the user's account data and sends it to a remote server, giving the malicious software full access to the account data.

What To Do ?

It is recommended that you should not download Android apps from any third party stores, apart from the official Google store.More importantly, do not tap on links that claim to download free Android application packages for apps. Also, download some reliable anti-malware app and format your android device if you feel your google account has been compromised.

Nidhi Singh

Former Correspondent, Entrepreneur Asia-Pacific

A self confessed Bollywood Lover, Travel junkie and Food Evangelist.I like travelling and I believe it is very important to take ones mind off the daily monotony .

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Growing a Business

Is It Time to Pivot Your Business? 3 Clear Signs You Shouldn't Ignore

Pivots can be uncomfortable, even scary. But they're often necessary for survival. The key is knowing when and how to do it right.

Business News

College Professors Are Turning to ChatGPT to Generate Course Materials. One Student Noticed — and Asked for a Refund.

AI use in higher education is becoming more popular for students and professors.

Business News

You Can Now Order Food and Book a Massage on Airbnb. Here's How.

Airbnb redesigned its app and added a host of new services.

Marketing

Why Business Growth Today Demands More Than Just Traditional Marketing

Today's CMOs are growth architects focused on creating coherence and driving business success from within.

Leadership

How to Build a Resilient Team That Thrives in Uncertainty

Learn how to build a team that stays calm under pressure, adapts quickly and grows stronger in the face of change, no matter what the market throws your way.