CBI issues alert to states, UTs on banking phishing software on basis of Interpol input: Officials

On an Interpol input, the CBI has alerted police forces of states and UTs, and central agencies about banking trojan Cerberus that lures smartphone users into downloading malicious links related to COVID-19 and then infects devices to do phishing activities, officials said on Tuesday.

The banking trojan known as Cerberus takes advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and sends SMS to lure a user into downloading the link containing the malicious software, they said.

Once deployed, the trojan application spreads, launching phishing attacks, to steal financial data such as credit card numbers.

In addition, it can use overlay attacks to trick victims into providing personal information and can capture two-factor authentication details, the agency has said.