One of the worst banking Trojans for Android has been spotted in a major update, making it an even more serious threat. Worse still, BRATA no longer focuses solely on Brazilian banks, but instead targets banks in the UK, Spain and Italy.

Research by cybersecurity experts says that the Brazilian remote access tool for Android, also known as BRATA, has discovered new ways to get GPS location data, new ways to send and receive SMS messages, and new ways to gain much-needed permissions. In addition, BRATA can distribute additional malware along with the ability to log events to the target.

It uses a separate but related program to read SMS messages, access two-factor authentication codes and one-time passwords. This program is also used to obtain contact details of potential victims in the UK, Spain and Italy.

While the Trojan is distributed via phishing SMS messages containing download links, allegedly belonging to the target bank, the entire campaign is accompanied by phishing pages that appear to be the target bank.

But perhaps BRATA’s biggest danger is that if it manages to wipe the funds from the target account, or if it detects an antivirus (opens in a new tab), scans it, BRATA will reset the device to factory settings, wiping all content. device. According to the researchers, attackers will first attack customers of a particular bank for several months, then move on to another target. Source