When downloading movies, music and other files from the Internet, viruses that are carried to the PC when the devices are synchronized can infect the smartphone. This was told to socialbites.ca by Pavel Korostelev, head of the product promotion department at the Security Code. According to the expert, such situations are unlikely, but still possible.
“Such attacks are very cunning and specific, because hackers need to know that the victim will connect the smartphone to the computer correctly and coordinate the attack so that they can exploit this vector. Attackers would choose such a sophisticated method only if other simpler things like phishing or social engineering didn’t work,” Korostelev explained.
The specialist explained that virus transfer from a smartphone to a PC does not need to be accompanied by the exchange of files between devices. Basically, there are malicious programs that are activated when there is a connection between a smartphone and a PC.
“Let me remind you that this option is very rare, because the attacker must know how to exploit “holes” first in the smartphone, then in the computer,” added the Security Code expert.
To avoid such situations, the specialist recommended scanning the smartphone files with a mobile antivirus before connecting it to a PC. Otherwise, according to Korostelev, the computer antivirus may not have time to respond correctly.
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