SOVA VIRUS | SAfe Banking Articles

Home

Services

Products

Help

Get App

Keeping your Mobile Banking experience safe is important. We, at Kotak Mahindra Bank, are always vigilant and will try our best to keep you updated about any safety issues.

Recently, a Trojan virus called SOVA is trying to target Mobile Banking users. This app mimics over 200 banking and payment apps in order to con the user.

This is how they do it:

Step 1:
Like most malware, the fraudster sends an SMS encouraging the user to download a particular app.

Step 2:
If you download the fake app from unknown sources, this virus can collect keystrokes, steal cookies, intercept multi-factor authentication, take screenshots and record video from a webcam. It is an extremely dangerous virus since it can also perform gestures like screen click, swipe, etc.

Step 3:
If a user realises the app is not useful or authentic and tries to uninstall it, SOVA is able to intercept this action and send the user back to the home screen where a message pops up saying ‘the app is secured’.

How can you be safe against frauds of this kind?

To reduce the risk of downloading potentially harmful apps, only trust the official app stores, such as your device’s manufacturer or operating system app store
Always review the app details, number of downloads, user reviews, comments and ‘Additional Information’ section to verify the authenticity of the app
Go into your phone or app settings to verify app permissions. Grant permission only to those apps that are relevant for the app's purpose.
Do not trust any cold marketing and sales calls. You can always check for the authenticity of the company by visiting their site to verify the current number if any offer interests you.

If you suspect a fraud, call 1800 209 0000 immediately.