If you have a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, or indeed any Android phone, you’d be wise to check if you are running the latest available version of Android software. This is always best practice in order to get the latest features and security updates, but one particularly nasty piece of malware has been spotted in the wild by the team at Check Point that could seriously infect your phone if downloaded.
Hackers across the globe have been spotted using ‘Rafel RAT’ malware to target Android users with Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, Google, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Realme, Huawei and other brand devices. Older phones are particularly at risk as they may not have the latest software updates that tend to keep you safe from malicious software used by criminals.
“Rafel RAT is an open-source malware tool that operates stealthily on Android devices,” Check Point said. “It provides malicious actors with a powerful toolkit for remote administration and control, enabling a range of malicious activities from data theft to device manipulation.”
Rafel RAT is being used to target victims and extract their contacts, as well as hack into people’s two factor authentication messages, potentially leading to fraud if hackers are able to get into personal accounts.
Phones running Android 11 accounted for more than 20 percent of the affected devices, followed by Android 8, Android 5, Android 12 and Android 9. Android 5 has not been supported with software updates since 2018, so if your phone is that old you won’t be able to install any new security patches – you’ll just have to be vigilant with what links you click on.
Android 12, 13 and 14 are the latest versions of the popular mobile operating system still receiving updates. If your phone is running one of these versions (you can check in the settings aps which yours has), you might have a software update ready to download. It’s always worth keeping your phone up to date with the latest version available.
“Despite the variety of Android versions, malware can generally operate across all,” Check Point said. “However, newer versions of the operating system typically present more challenges for malware to execute its functions or require more actions from the victim to be effective.”
Across 120 countries, Samsung devices were the most affected, followed by Xiaomi, Vivo and Huawei phones.
