A new malware type targeting smartphones has infected some 25 million devices, 15 million of which are in India. The malware is dubbed “Agent Smith.” It targets the Android mobile operating system, replacing installed apps with a malicious version without alerting the user.
Agent Smith has infected a huge number of devices. India has by far the most infections. The Check Point research indicates some 15 million devices carrying Agent Smith. The next closest country is Bangladesh, with around 2.5 million devices infected. There were over 300,000 Agent Smith infections in the US and around 137,000 in the UK.
The malware first appeared on the third-party app store “9Apps.” The third-party app store targets Indian, Arabic, and Indonesian users, explaining the significant number of infections in those areas. (It is a good reason to avoid downloading Android apps from third-party app stores.)
