Sunday, October 18, 2026

Beware! Downloader Malware Disguised as Game Apps Found On Google Play with More Than 51,100 Installations

The downloader malware dubbed Android.DownLoader.819.origin malware found on Google play downloaded by more than 51,100 Android users.

The downloader malware is capable of installing other malicious applications on the affected devices and launches them.

Doctor Web security researchers found 14 copies of the malicious application distributed by Quoac developer disguised as games.

The Android.DownLoader.819.origin is a modified version of Android.DownLoader.818.origin which distributed as VPN client.

Once the application is triggered it requests for the read and writes access to SD card and then it forces the users to assign it as one of the mobile device administrators.

If the permission is provided then the malicious app hide’s itself on the device and removes the icon from the screen menu and can be found only in the installed programs list.

Without granting all the permission it is not possible to launch the game app, once the app launched it connects with the remote server and downloads the APK and forces the user to install the malicious app.

It continues to show the installation popup for every 20 seconds until the user accepts to install, the installer is the Android.HiddenAds.728 malware which displays the ads on the infected device every time when the screen is active.

Doctor web researchers sent the report to Google play and the malicious apps were removed from the Google play now.

Related Read

GPlayed – New Malware Posed as Google Play App to Spy & Steal Data From Your Entire Android Phone

Beware!! New Android Malware That Can Read Your WhatsApp Messages & Take Screen Shots

Gurubaran
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.

Hot this week

How To Access Dark Web Anonymously and know its Secretive and Mysterious Activities

What is Deep Web The deep web, invisible web, or...

How to Build and Run a Security Operations Center (SOC Guide) – 2023

Today’s Cyber security operations center (CSOC) should have everything...

Russian Hackers Bypass EDR to Deliver a Weaponized TeamViewer Component

TeamViewer's popularity and remote access capabilities make it an...

Web Server Penetration Testing Checklist – 2026

Web server pentesting is performed under three significant categories: identity,...

ATM Penetration Testing – Advanced Testing Methods to Find The Vulnerabilities

ATM Penetration testing, Hackers have found different approaches to...

Hackers Use ConnectWise SkyKick Credentials to Access Microsoft 365, Halting Cloud Backups

Attackers abused compromised ConnectWise Cloud Backup credentials to access...

Anthropic’s Claude AI Uncovers Origins of NSA-Provided Cryptographic Keys After 25 Years

Anthropic says an internal Claude research model reconstructed how...

OpenBSD Kernel Flaw Dating Back 37 Years Enables Local Privilege Escalation to Root

A newly disclosed OpenBSD kernel exploitation chain combines a...

GhostAction Hackers Hide Credential-Stealing Malware in Fake Font Files Across 94 GitHub Repositories

GhostAction attackers have expanded their GitHub credential theft campaign...

SideCopy Hackers Target Indian Organizations With ReverseRAT Malware to Steal Data

Indian authorities have warned that SideCopy hackers are targeting...

New GhostBat Android Malware Targets 60 Banking and UPI Apps to Steal PINs

A new GhostBat RAT variant targets 60 Android financial...

New ROMULUS Malware Platform Uses Six Servers to Deliver Multiple Malicious Payloads

ROMULUS, a shared ClickFix delivery platform operating across six...

Related Articles

Recent News