Sberbank Online Users under attack from mTAN SMS Trojan

Sberbank, a bank in Russian, online customers are under attack by hackers and scammers who are using a fake malicious Sberbank mobile phone application called "SberSafe" with Trojans "Spy.AndroidOS.Citmo" and "Spy.Win32.Carberp.ugu" to capture mTAN authorization code in SMS messages, in order to steal money from a victim’s bank account using online banking. mTAN stands for Mobile Transaction Authentication Number and is used by some banks to authorize financial transactions online.

Advertisements
Sberbank Online Users under attack from mTAN SMS Trojan

After a banking customer completes a financial transaction online, a SMS or a Text Message is sent to the customer’s mobile phone with the mTAN code. The customer must enter this code in their online banking account before the transaction can be processed.

Even if a hacker or a scammer is able to steal your online banking username and password, they will not be able to process any financial transactions from your online banking account, unless they are able to get hold of the mTAN code for that transaction. The mTAN code is unique per transaction, therefore, will be different for every banking transaction and randomly chosen by the bank.

The users of Sberbank Online are sent a link to download the fake and malicious Sberbank mobile application called “SberSafe”. If the user launches this malicious application, it will capture any SMS text messages with mTAN codes in it and send it to the criminals behind this application. They will use this to authorize financial transactions in the victim’s online backing account.  All of this is done without the victim knowing because the Trojan hides the incoming SMS text messages it needs from the victim and send it silently to the criminals.

This malicious application was available for download at Google Play but was removed after it was reported to them by Kaspersky Lab. Google tries hard to prevent malicious applications from entering their store and is one of the safest places to download mobile applications.

Sberbank Online recommends that their customers do the following:

  • By no means should you give your password to anybody, including Sberbank staff.
  •  
  • Make sure that the connection you have established is the secure SSL-connection with the official website of the service (https://esk.sbrf.ru/). The page you use to enter your Personal Account has only input boxes for login and password.
  •  
  • Upon receiving the SMS with a single-use password (mTAN), read the message carefully. You should only enter it in the box on the website if the transaction was initiated by you and the bank details of the funds recipient are the same on the website and in the SMS. The bank never sends messages with passwords to cancel transactions, as the cancelling of transactions is not available in the Sberbank Online system.
  •  
  • Do not use the Sberbank Online service directly from the mobile phone, smartphone, PDA or tablet computer that receives your SMS with single-use passwords for transactions.
  •  
  • Should you lose your mobile device which you used to receive an SMS with single-use passwords for transactions from the bank, contact your mobile operator as soon as possible to block the lost SIM-card.
  •  
  • If you suspect that your password (permanent or single-use) has been compromised by a third party (including those who may introduce themselves as the bank's staff) or there has been a request for transactions which was not initiated by you, immediately contact the bank helpline: (495)-500-0005, (495)-788-9272 or 8-800-200-3747.
  •  
  • Please note that phone numbers 800-555-5550 and 495-500-5550 are intended only for receiving calls from clients and are never used by the staff of the bank to call clients.
Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

Bookmark articleSave

Was this article helpful?

Advertisements

Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

There are no comments as yet, please leave one below or revisit.

To protect your privacy, please remove sensitive or identifiable information from your comments, questions, or reviews. We will use your IP address to display your approximate location to other users when you make a post. That location is not enough to find you.

Your post will be set as anonymous because you are not signed in. An anonymous post cannot be edited or deleted, therefore, review it carefully before posting. Sign-in.

Write Your Comment, Question, Answer, or Review

Advertisements

Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

Sberbank Online Users under attack from mTAN SMS Trojan