"Virus Detected" message on Android phone - help pls

waterwatereverywhere

Hi,

We have been getting the following message popping up on an Android phone - Samsung Galaxy S2.

"http://mobile.alert.secure-intl.com/detection.html"

"android warning - you have been infected, tap here to..." (can't remember the rest of what it said.

The first time we did click on it. Have we caused damage? Do we now have a virus on the phone and what should we do to remove it? Any help gratefully received - have not noticed any problems with the phone but just worried now in case it is doing something in the background which we are unaware of...

bod1467

What are you doing when the message pops up?

Go to Settings | Apps | Running and take a look at what's there. (You may want to also check Show Cached Processes). Does anything look unusual or not recognised?

dogmaryxx

Anything like this

http://blog.malwarebytes.org/mobile-2/2013/12/android-pop-ups-warn-of-infection/

waterwatereverywhere

Hi Dogmary,

Thanks for the link. The "graphics" were not the same as the message which appeared on our phone, but the wording is similar, i.e. you have been infected....etc.

Hi Bod1467,

Many thanks. Have checked Settings, Apps, Running and nothing looks unusual there. Pls can you tell me where to find the Cached processes bit as I can't seem to see that?

bod1467

Maybe it's a vanilla Android thing ... on my Nexus 4 when I go to Settings | Apps | Running there is text at the top-right which says SHOW CACHED PROCESSES. Pressing that shows these processes and the text changes to SHOW RUNNING SERVICES. Screenshot from my phone is below.

waddler_8

Android scarware.

http://grahamcluley.com/2013/12/android-scareware/

waterwatereverywhere

Hi

Thanks for the further replies. I looked at the link posted and so it seems this is a con and I don't have anything to worry about because I didn't actually download anything (AFAIK!). I clicked once, panicked and backed out before it did anything else.

We have Avast anti virus running on the mobile anyway so maybe that helped also.

Thanks for putting our minds at rest!

bod1467

waddler_8 wrote: »

Android scarware.

http://grahamcluley.com/2013/12/android-scareware/

That's why I asked what the OP was doing when the notification came up.

paddyrg

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.malwarebytes.antimalware

Give this a (free) try, I found some stupid game a friend installed had left dirty fingerprints on my 'Droid and this quickly sorted it.

bod1467

Just installed it - I like how it works, and its interface. (I have it on my home PC too).

PS - a clean bill of health for my Nexus 4, although it suggests I disable GPS and Developer Mode.

Daz2009

I had the same thing happen to me no more than 30 minutes ago.
I ran a virus scan but it didn't pick up anything