ANDROID owners have been warned of a vicious attack that's capable of locking them out of their phone and deleting precious photos.
The latest worrying ruse deployed by cyber crooks is specifically targeting people with older handsets, according to experts.
These devices tend to no longer receive important security updates that would normally patch vulnerabilities and bugs.
The majority of victims had Samsung phones - the biggest Android smartphone manufacturer - followed closely by Xiaomi, Vivo, and Huawei, according to Check Point.
It leverages deceptive tactics to manipulate user trust and exploit their interactions
Pub delivers five-word response to critics of its 'slow' carvery service Check Point
Some victims of the attack receive an ominous ransom note from fraudsters telling them to "message me on Telegram to solve this problem".
Criminals make their way into people's phones by duping them into installing dubious apps that rip off well known names.
These range from Instagram and WhatsApp, to shopping platforms and antivirus apps, which are downloaded on the internet instead of via Google Play where it's safer.
"Depending on the attacker’s modifications, the malware may request permissions for Notifications or Device Admin rights or stealthily seek minimal sensitive permissions (such as SMS, Call Logs, and Contacts) in its quest to remain undetected," experts warned.
"Regardless, the malware commences its operations in the background immediately upon activation."
This allows them to carry out a number of merciless tasks, such as scanning your texts and relaying sensitive information back to them.
But in the worst case scenario they could lock your screen rendering your device unusable or delete files such as photos.
The ruthless scheme, dubbed Rafel RAT, has been detected in 120 countries.
Most victims were traced to the United States, China, and Indonesia, but others were found in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy and Germany among others.
"More than 87% of the affected victims are running Android versions that are no longer supported and, consequently, not receiving security fixes," Check Point said.
Millions of Android owners could slash 'vampire bills' – how to save money
"This malware was developed to participate in phishing campaigns.
"It leverages deceptive tactics to manipulate user trust and exploit their interactions."
