Symantec cybersecurity experts have discovered a new Android malware called Xhelper. According to experts, it is very difficult to get rid of the new malware. To date, the application has been installed on approximately 50,000 smartphones, mainly in India, the United States, and Russia, and each month this number is increasing by approximately 2,400 devices. Over the past six months, malware has been downloaded to approximately 45,000 devices.
Xhelper does not appear in the list of installed applications, it can reinstall itself, but the worst part is that even resetting the smartphone to factory settings does not help get rid of the malware – the application still remains on the device.
Many users have already reported the problem in technical forums, claiming that Xhelper appears on the device, even after it was manually removed. The launch of the application is triggered by external events, for example, connecting/disconnecting from power sources, rebooting, installing or uninstalling the application.
According to experts who discovered the software, Xhelper displays intrusive ads on the smartphone screen and can download other malicious programs to the device. At the same time, having studied the application program code, experts came to the conclusion that it is still under development. That is, over time, the capabilities of the software can expand and lead to even more unpleasant consequences for users.