More Than 50 Malicious Apps With Over 350,000 Installs Found On Google Play

More than 50 malicious apps that designed for kids as coloring apps or games found on Google play has no functionality other than displaying ads.

Mobile security researcher LUKAS STEFANKO identified the malicious app and reported to Google Security team, now most of the apps have been removed and few still available to download.

50 Malicious Apps – Functionality

The functionality of the app is to only display the interstitial ads that cover the entire device screen.

Once these malicious apps installed and launched it displays error and hides from user view and continues to run the background.

Stefanko spotted that one of the apps was even in the trending list, at sixth place in the Educational category. Altogether these malicious apps are downloaded for more than 350,000 times.

All these applications hide after installation from home screen, even if the user tries to remove manually it is a tough job as the app hides between other application changes its name and icon.

Recently a new Android malware spotted that spying users WhatsApp messages and other sensitive data such as browsing history, photos.

Serious checks need to be done about the apps you download, particularly if you’re using an Android operating system.

Because of Android’s open network, apps are more likely to have malware built in, that will harm your phone with no knowledge of it whatsoever.

Common Tips to Catch Fake Android App

  • Look at the publish date. A fake app will have a recent published date.
  • Do a little research about the developer of the app you plan to install.
  • Very important – read all app permissions carefully.

Common Defences On Mobile Threats

  • Give careful consideration to the permission asked for by applications.
  • Download applications from trusted sources.
  • Stay up with the latest version.
  • Encrypt your devices.
Gurubaran

Gurubaran is a co-founder of Cyber Security News and GBHackers On Security. He has 10+ years of experience as a Security Consultant, Editor, and Analyst in cybersecurity, technology, and communications.

Recent Posts

Researchers Uncover Hacking Tools and Techniques Shared on Russian-Speaking Cybercrime Forums

Trend Micro, a cybersecurity firm, has released its 50th installment report on the Russian-speaking cybercriminal…

4 hours ago

SideCopy APT Hackers Impersonate Government Officials to Deploy Open-Source XenoRAT Tool

The Pakistan-linked Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group known as SideCopy has significantly expanded its targeting…

5 hours ago

Russian APT Hackers Use Device Code Phishing Technique to Bypass MFA

Russian state-backed advanced persistent threat (APT) group Storm-2372 has exploited device code phishing to bypass…

5 hours ago

Threat Actors Exploit Messaging Services as Lucrative Cybercrime Platforms

Threat actors are exploiting weaknesses in SMS verification systems to generate massive, fraudulent message traffic,…

6 hours ago

Scattered Spider Launches Sophisticated Attacks to Steal Login Credentials and MFA Tokens

The cyber threat landscape has witnessed remarkable adaptation from the notorious hacker collective known as…

6 hours ago

North Korean Hackers Use Social Engineering and Python Scripts to Execute Stealthy Commands

North Korean threat actors have demonstrated their adept use of social engineering techniques combined with…

6 hours ago