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TIPS

Android Trojan xHelper uses persistent re-infection tactics

Android Trojan xHelper uses persistent re-infection tactics
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x Help is a gift that is constantly given. As a gift, I read “Android Malware;” And by giving, I mean “opening your computer to all kinds of nasty attacks”. Like that creature that comes in Alien Movies, xHelper’s primary goal should be persistent โ€” even if you perform a factory reset on your device, it will still reinstall your mobile, allowing it to continue to attack in conjunction with the remote command and control server. To cause even more confusion on your Android.

Android Trojan xHelper uses persistent re-infection tactics

How to get rid of malware cockroaches? Previously we said that the best way to deal with it is to avoid xHelper altogether. If you do not accept our advice or accidentally find indestructible malware on your device, do not lose hope. Removing xHelper is a pain, but it’s possible.

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It is worth taking a moment to read how Malwarebytes was able to find out that xHelper is the cause of the problems one of its forum users encounters on his device. This is attractive, but it also helps you to be familiar with the steps you need to take to remove xHelper from your device.

To get started, you need to first get a file manager app. For the user of MalwareBytes, he had to disable the Google Play Store – yes, the apps you use to download most of the apps on your device. This is normal, how xHelper hides. Launches a .APK, reinstalls xHelper’s primary malware, and then uninstall (source .APK) itself. All of this is triggered by something that researchers have yet to figure out what the Google Play Store processor is in this case.

He then enabled MalwareBytes to remove xHelper, and used the file manager app to search anything starting with “com.mufc” through his Android. If the “last modified date” she found matched the date (and was close to the time she ran the malware byte), she removed it until there was no clear, sensitive folder such as “Downloads”. She then ran the Google Play Store processor and seemed to be right.

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While this may seem like a fairly easy solution, it took a lot of digging to achieve it. As MalwareBytes’ Nathan Collier writes:

I’m willing to bet that there will be some variations of xHelper or a completely different malware that uses different techniques to hide itself on your device. It will take a lot of digging on your part to eliminate it โ€” you can drag ATP and remove system utilities until you find the source of the problem on your infected device. I did not expect your average Android user to know how to do that.

My global advice is to do everything you can to stop processes and applications on your device, except to avoid side-by-side applications altogether. This includes any applications that may seem innocent at first glance. Once you do that, you can find xHelper and remove it, but it’s not a fun process.

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