FlixOnline is an application that you might probably have seen these past few days. This application promised its users free Netflix but it being too good to be true, there is a catch. This has malicious malware that risks your data.

Since the start of pandemic, people are stuck in their homes, got nowhere to go. This gets us automatically glued to our phones and apps. This also makes us more vulnerable to hackers and threats found online. Netflix has been one of the companions of people trying to end their boredom. Phone Arena described in their post the application FlixOnline which lures the users to free Netflix global content just by installing their app. Why not? But make sure to think twice before you do that.

Why should you delete the app FlixOnline right now?

With the dominance of Netflix, some fraudsters use this to trick the users into installing their malicious malware. The application advertised using the statement below.

“2 Months of Netflix Premium Free at no cost For REASON OF QUARANTINE (CORONA VIRUS)* Get 2 Months of Netflix Premium Free anywhere in the world for 60 days. Get it now HERE https://bit[.]ly/3bDmzUw.

After installing their app, it will prompt you to agree with the permissions and user agreements. This includes some small print, that you might not notice but states that you give permission for the app to read all your notifications. This includes your personal information such as contact names and content of your messages.

Once you click on “agree”, aside from your sensitive information, you are also allowing these fraudsters to disable/enable the Do Not Disturb feature on your phone.

Source of Information

This news was verified by Check Point Research. They described the malware as:

“the malware is capable of automatically replying to victim’s’ incoming WhatsApp messages with a payload received from a command-and-control (C&C) server. This unique method could have enabled threat actors to distribute phishing attacks, spread false information or steal credentials and data from users’ WhatsApp accounts, and more.”

The possible effects of this malware is endless from personal conversations in What’s app being penetrated by external users to business transactions you have. Hackers could perform a wide-range of malicious activities like the following:

Continuously spread malware by sending malicious links
Steal sensitive and personal information from a user’s What’s App account
Sending fake or malicious messages to other What’s App users

How to get rid of this malware?

The malware is considered as “wormable”, meaning it can spread by itself. With this, it’s necessary for users to do actions right away. Even though Google deleted this app in the Play Store, the app was installed 500 times already over the course of two months.

If you happen to be one of those, you should uninstall the app now. Also, make sure to change your passwords and keep your accounts safe. Additionally, researches believe that the malware could still return in the future through a different app.

This may serve as a wake up call for all. It is important for us to think twice before we install applications, especially, those apps that are too good to be true. More likely, it has hidden charges or features that might be more harmful for you.