In a simple Google search, people can find a huge list of malware-infested apps in Google Play Store. Even though the tech giant Google follows necessary steps to ensure the security of Android users, sometimes threat actors play smart game to disguise malware apps already installed.
Among many such apps, CamScanner, which was downloaded over 100 million times, stands aloft. It should be noted that the initial version uploaded to the Play Store had no malware threat, while the recent version showed adware threat, which may cost the user some data theft.
Android malware threat
Recently, one of the forms of this malware was discovered by an analyst, Aleksejs Kuprins. He discovered the so-called Joker malware in 24 applications on the Google Play Store. The Joker malware signs a user for subscription service. It is actually designed to target mainly Asian and European users and to some extent Ghana and Egypt Android users.
However, it is hard to understand how many users were affected by these apps as they had been downloaded around 472,000 times.
These apps are removed from Play Store and you need to do the same
·Advocate Wallpaper | ·Declare Message |
·Age Face | ·Display Camera |
·Altar Message | ·Great VPN |
·Antivirus Security – Security Scan | ·Humour Camera |
·Beach Camera | ·Ignite Clean |
·Board picture editing | ·Leaf Face Scanner |
·Certain Wallpaper | ·Mini Camera |
·Climate SMS | ·Print Plant scan |
·Collate Face Scanner | ·Rapid Face Scanner |
·Cute Camera | ·Reward Clean |
·Dazzle Wallpaper | ·Ruddy SMS |
·Declare Message | ·Soby Camera |
·Spark Wallpaper |
Malware threat is not over yet
It looks like along with the technological and security updates, threat actors are also entering a progressive zone. As per a recently released report, the only thing that is certain for the Android users, who have downloaded apps like Best Fortunne Explorer, is malware and a plague of fraudulent ads.
The researchers at White Ops Threat Intelligence have discovered more than 100 apps with more than 4.6 million downloads as of Dec. 19, 2019. All these apps threaten with the same fraudulent outcome, while each using a common code module that has been named "Soraka." The adware in these apps is extremely hard to detect.
As reported by Forbes, White Ops' John Laycock said, "Those hiding behaviors are significant. The fraudsters are getting smarter—they know this is now an arms race, they're trying to slow down analysis with these tactics. We're seeing these types of behaviors more and more."
You need to delete these apps now
