Malibot is a new virus that steals data of customers at Santander and CaixaBank.

While technological advancements have made our lives much easier, there are many inconveniences that we don't often know about. One of these is the risk of being hacked. It is crucial to understand how to minimize the risk of viruses stealing your data.

MaliBot, the new virus attacking CaixaBank customers and Banco Santander customers, is exactly doing this. Both banks have warned that this malware can steal data from customers whose smartphones use the Android operating-system.

It can act in many different ways. It can steal the cookies of users of these banks and also bypass multi-factor authentication codes that are responsible for maintaining security. It can also remotely control devices, making it easier to steal money from online banking applications.

MaliBot has so far been able to affect users in Spain, Italy, and other countries where hundreds of victims have reported being the victims of data theft. According to the F5 company, which specializes in applications, the command and control for this malware lies in Russia. It also used the same servers used to spread the Sality Trojan virus in 2003, which was also remotely controlled by devices.

Truth is, Russia has attempted to hack into more than 40 countries allied since the start of the war in Ukraine. MaliBot works by sending SMS messages. These SMS messages contain a link that allows you to access the device. Hackers can also use this link to steal any content.

Ensure that your devices are updated with the latest operating system. This will ensure that security procedures are maintained.

Trojans can access your SMS or email via this method, so it is important to never open or access any link.

- You can enter directly from the app of the bank, or via the internet. If you are accessing a website from a computer make sure the URL after the "http" is followed by an "s". This indicates that the page is secured.

Log out after you have completed all operations in the application.

Never give your bank access data. They will never ask for it.

Complex passwords should contain numbers and uppercase characters. It is recommended to use multiple keys, not just one for every task, and not to write them down in the "notes" section of the device.

According to Datos101, there were approximately 40,000 cyberattacks per year in Spain by 2021. According to a Deloitte study, 94% of businesses experienced at least one security-related incident in the same year.