Google removes 27 apps that guided users to fake Play Store
5 years, 4 months ago

Google removes 27 apps that guided users to fake Play Store

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Google has removed 27 apps that prompted users to install a fake Play Store after researchers from Pune-based Quick Heal Technologies spotted these malicious apps of dropper category and reported the issue. These apps were designed to infect devices with adware after someone fell prey to their continuous installation prompts for fake "Google Play Store", Quick Heal Security Lab said. The apps stated that users need to install Google Play Store for gaming purposes. The fake "Google Play Store" remained in the device even after its parent app was uninstalled and kept on displaying full screen ads at random time intervals.

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History of this topic

Delete these 15 fake loan apps now to protect your bank account, over 80 lakh users affected
1 month, 1 week ago

Delete these 15 fake loan apps now to protect your bank account, over 80 lakh users affected

India TV News  

India ranks as the number one country for downloading fake apps, according to a recent report by McAfee. McAfee has identified 15 specific fake loan apps that have been downloaded by millions—about 8 million users in total—mostly from the Google Play Store. These fake loan apps often ask for various permissions when installed, such as access to your calls, messages, …

Google Play Store: 8 out of 10 Indian companies return to the platform
10 months ago

Google Play Store: 8 out of 10 Indian companies return to the platform

India TV News  

As the battle between Google and Indian startups intensifies, some apps of 8 out of 10 key homegrown companies who are spearheading the fight with the tech giant are already back on the Google Play Store after they complied with the new policy. Google had delisted more than a dozen apps by major Indian digital companies, including Matrimony and Shaadi.com …

5 Info Edge apps delisted from Google Play Store, company tells bourses
10 months, 1 week ago

5 Info Edge apps delisted from Google Play Store, company tells bourses

Hindustan Times  

Five apps from Info Edge --- Naukri.com, Naukri Recruiter, Naukrigulf, 99acres and Shiksha --- have been delisted by Google from its Play Store, the Indian tech giant informed the bourses on Saturday. Info Edge said the removal/delisting of the company’s mobile applications from the Google Play Store came as a surprise to it. “The removal/delisting of the company’s mobile applications …

Startups cry foul as Google yanks apps off Play Store for noncompliance
10 months, 1 week ago

Startups cry foul as Google yanks apps off Play Store for noncompliance

Live Mint  

New Delhi/Bengaluru: On Friday, Google removed 10 popular Indian apps, including Bharat Matrimony, Shaadi.com, and Kuku FM, from its Play Store, and warned several others about possible actions for consistently failing to comply with its billing policies. “Our apps were taken off the Play Store on Friday morning along with a notice and a blog post detailing Google’s policy on …

Google starts removing multiple Indian apps from Play Store for not paying service fee
10 months, 1 week ago

Google starts removing multiple Indian apps from Play Store for not paying service fee

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: Google on Friday began removing some apps, including popular matrimony apps, from its Play Store in India over a dispute on service fee payments. While Bharat Matrimony founder Murugavel Janakiraman described the move as "dark day" for the Internet in India, Kuku FM co-founder Vinod Kumar Meena, in a statement, said that Google was behaving like a 'monopoly'. …

Google Play Store Update: You can now remove apps across devices easily | Here's how
1 year ago

Google Play Store Update: You can now remove apps across devices easily | Here's how

India TV News  

Google is making it easier for Android users to clean up their devices remotely. A new Play Store option lets you uninstall apps from your other Android gadgets. Uninstall Apps Across Devices Google has introduced a hidden gem in the Play Store which allows users to remove apps from connected Android devices remotely. The feature is supported across all Android …

"Google Removes 43 Android Apps with 2.5 Million Downloads Violating Play Store Policy: How to Protect Your Device"
1 year, 5 months ago

"Google Removes 43 Android Apps with 2.5 Million Downloads Violating Play Store Policy: How to Protect Your Device"

The Hindu  

Google removed 43 Android apps with 2.5 million collective downloads from the app store. The apps were found to be violating Google Play Developer policy, loading ads while the device’s screen is off. While loading ads when a device’s screen is turned off may seem convenient, the applications could affect not just a device’s battery but also increase data consumption …

Google Play Apps with 1.5 million installs found sending sensitive data to China: Details
1 year, 6 months ago

Google Play Apps with 1.5 million installs found sending sensitive data to China: Details

India TV News  

Malicious file management applications posing as legitimate apps have been discovered on the Google Play Store, collectively accumulating over 1.5 million downloads. These apps, disguised as file management tools, secretly exfiltrated sensitive user data to malicious servers based in China. Although the apps claimed not to collect any data on the Google Play website, the security researchers found that they …

Beware Android users some Google Play Store apps are infected with spyware, uninstall them right now
1 year, 6 months ago

Beware Android users some Google Play Store apps are infected with spyware, uninstall them right now

India Today  

Google Play is one of the largest app stores globally, offering over 3 million apps for download. With such a wide selection of apps and a vast user base, the Android app store, operated by Google, also becomes a prime target for hackers seeking to spread malware. In a recent discovery, cyber security researchers have detected several suspicious apps on …

Android malware on Google Play Store apps behind unauthorised subscription charges: Report
1 year, 8 months ago

Android malware on Google Play Store apps behind unauthorised subscription charges: Report

The Hindu  

Fleckpe, a new Android malware, installed over 620,000 times on Google Play, was found generating unauthorised charges by subscribing users to premium services. The malware was disguised as legitimate apps and was being spread as part of photo editing apps, smartphone wallpapers packs, and other commonly available apps on the Google Play Store. The Trojan malware works by remaining unnoticed, …

Google stopped 1.43 million apps, banned 173K malicious developer accounts on Play Store
1 year, 8 months ago

Google stopped 1.43 million apps, banned 173K malicious developer accounts on Play Store

The Hindu  

Google in 2022, prevented 1.43 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play. The company also blocked 173K malicious developers and fraud rings preventing over $2 billion in fraudulent and abusive transactions, the company said in its security blog post. Google also implemented additional requirements to be fulfilled by developers looking to join the Play Store ecosystem. Google also …

Google prevented 1.43 million apps from entering Play Store for policy violation
1 year, 8 months ago

Google prevented 1.43 million apps from entering Play Store for policy violation

Live Mint  

Search giant Google said Thursday that it has blocked more than 1.43 million ‘policy-violating apps’ from entering the Play Store. The company also said it has "raised the bar" for new developers joining the Play Store ecosystem, resulting in a reduction in the number of accounts used to publish violative apps. In a blog post on Thursday, the search giant …

Google bans 36 malicious Android apps with over 100 million downloads on Play Store
1 year, 8 months ago

Google bans 36 malicious Android apps with over 100 million downloads on Play Store

India Today  

Google has banned 36 malicious Android apps from Play Store, which were first spotted by McAfee. In addition to this, the library is also capable of performing ad fraud by clicking The cited source revealed that more than 60 apps with this third-party malicious library have been discovered by the company and these have more than 100 million downloads in …

Google suspends Chinese shopping app amid security concerns
1 year, 9 months ago

Google suspends Chinese shopping app amid security concerns

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Google has suspended the Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo on its app store after malware was discovered in versions of the app from other sources. Google said in a statement Tuesday that it suspended the Pinduoduo app on the Google Play app store out of “security concerns” and that it was investigating the matter. The suspension of the …

Dangerous Android apps with over 2 million downloads found on Play Store, delete them immediately
2 years, 1 month ago

Dangerous Android apps with over 2 million downloads found on Play Store, delete them immediately

India Today  

A security firm has discovered a bunch of apps on the Google Play app store laden with dangerous malware that can steal user data. The apps discovered by Dr Web antivirus-promised productivity tools have over 2 million downloads collectivity. Some of the malware-laden apps are unavailable on Google Play, though users may still have them installed on their phones. One …

Malware Apps With 2 Million Install Pose Risk For Android Users: Find Out Why
2 years, 1 month ago

Malware Apps With 2 Million Install Pose Risk For Android Users: Find Out Why

News 18  

More than 2 million people have been tricked into installing malware, and phishing apps that have bypassed Google’s security checks to show up on the Play Store. The apps have been installed by over 2 million apps which is no small feat and raise concerns about Google’s apparent security standards of approving apps before they are listed on the Play …

Google Play Store Update: Apps with 20 million downloads got removed
2 years, 2 months ago

Google Play Store Update: Apps with 20 million downloads got removed

India TV News  

Google has recently removed apps from the Play Store, which had more than 20 million downloads. According to the McAfee report, Google identified the new Clicker malware that sneaked into Google Play. A total, of 16 applications that were previously on Google Play have been confirmed to have the malicious payload with an assumed 20 million installations. The security researchers …

Google Banned Over 2000 Harmful Personal Loan Apps In India This Year From Play Store
2 years, 4 months ago

Google Banned Over 2000 Harmful Personal Loan Apps In India This Year From Play Store

News 18  

Google said it has purged more than 2,000 controversial personal loan apps from its Play Store in India in the January-June period after consulting with the law enforcement agencies. Google now requires personal loan apps in India to complete the additional proof of eligibility requirements. The eligibility includes copy of their license by the Reserve Bank of India, and declaration …

Beware! These Malicious Apps Are On Google Play Store, Remove These Android Apps Immediately
2 years, 4 months ago

Beware! These Malicious Apps Are On Google Play Store, Remove These Android Apps Immediately

ABP News  

More than 30 new Android apps have been found to be on the prowl on the Google Play Store that are capable of sending aggressive The new group of malware Android apps have been installed more than 2 million times on victims' mobile devices. According to Bitdefender, some of the other such Android apps that can spread malware and should …

New Malware Brings More Security Issues For Android Users, Delete These Apps Now: All Details
2 years, 6 months ago

New Malware Brings More Security Issues For Android Users, Delete These Apps Now: All Details

News 18  

Android smartphone users grapple with malware warnings regularly and this week, a new malware poses concerns for these people and security experts. According to a new report, four new malicious apps have been discovered on the Google Play Store that have already been downloaded by 100,000+ users already. The malware called Joker has been detected in these apps and even …

Six Android Apps Found To Be Spreading Banking Malware: Full List
2 years, 9 months ago

Six Android Apps Found To Be Spreading Banking Malware: Full List

News 18  

Market research firm Check Point Research has discovered six Android apps on the Google Play Store that are spreading banking malware by portraying themselves as antivirus apps. The six apps that have been found are named Atom Clean-Booster, Antivirus; Antivirus, Super Cleaner; Alpha Antivirus, Cleaner; Powerful Cleaner, Antivirus; and two version of the Center Security – Antivirus app. According to …

Stop using these anti-virus apps from Google Play Store, as they are stealing data
2 years, 9 months ago

Stop using these anti-virus apps from Google Play Store, as they are stealing data

India TV News  

In a bizarre incident, at least 15,000 Android users downloaded anti-malware apps from Google Play Store which, instead of protecting them from hackers, infected their devices to steal passwords, bank details and other personal information, a new report showed on Thursday. The six malware apps in the disguise of anti-virus apps have now been removed by Google from Play Store …

Google removed 150 malicious apps from Play Store, check the list
3 years, 2 months ago

Google removed 150 malicious apps from Play Store, check the list

India Today  

Google has banned more than 150 malicious apps from Play Store. The apps that were removed by Google from play store were part of a campaign called UltimaSMS wherein the malicious actors lure victims to sign in for premium SMS services. The users fell for the scam because the apps promised money in return of the services, as per Avast …

Google Removes These 8 Apps from Play Store for Offering Fake Crypto Services
3 years, 4 months ago

Google Removes These 8 Apps from Play Store for Offering Fake Crypto Services

News 18  

Google has removed eight apps from the Google Play app store for masquerading as cryptocurrency cloud mining applications. The eight apps removed from the app store include BitFunds – Crypto Cloud Mining, Bitcoin Miner – Cloud Mining, Bitcoin – Pool Mining Cloud Wallet, Crypto Holic – Bitcoin Cloud Mining, Daily Bitcoin Rewards – Cloud Based Mining System, Bitcoin 2021, MineBit …

Android smartphone users alert! Remove these 9 apps with hidden Trojan virus
3 years, 6 months ago

Android smartphone users alert! Remove these 9 apps with hidden Trojan virus

Live Mint  

The Android ecosystem has encountered a new batch of virus that hide themselves in applications. While Google Play Store may have removed these apps, users who might have downloaded the apps should also delete them from their device in order to steer clear from any further compromise. A cybersecurity service provider, DrWeb has published a new report showcasing the discovery …

Free apps that scam people later made $400 million in revenue, report says
3 years, 9 months ago

Free apps that scam people later made $400 million in revenue, report says

The Hindu  

Fleeceware are mobile apps that comes with a short free trial, and later charge an huge subscription fee. Hundreds of such apps have earned over $400 million in revenue on the both Apple and Google’s app marketplace, according to a report by security solution provider Avast. The team discovered 204 applications: 134 apps in App Store, and 70 in Play …

Google Play Store key source of malware installs on Android, study finds
4 years, 1 month ago

Google Play Store key source of malware installs on Android, study finds

The Hindu  

Google Play Store has been identified as the main distribution vector for most malware installs on Android, according to a recent study by researchers from NortonLifeLock and the IMDEA Software Institute in Madrid, Spain. Unwanted app distribution on android devices’, researchers have analysed 12 million Android devices and their connection between apps over a four-month period between June and September …

Google notified of 21 adware gaming apps on Play Store
4 years, 2 months ago

Google notified of 21 adware gaming apps on Play Store

The Hindu  

Cybersecurity firm Avast has discovered 21 adware gaming apps on Google’s Play Store, and reported them to search giant, and Google is investigating the reports. Off the 21 apps containing advertising supported software that automatically displays unwanted They have been downloaded about eight million times, according to the data by mobile app marketing intelligence and insights firm, Sensor Tower. The …

Cybersecurity Firm Avast Warns Google of 21 Adware Gaming Apps on Play Store, Android Users Beware
4 years, 2 months ago

Cybersecurity Firm Avast Warns Google of 21 Adware Gaming Apps on Play Store, Android Users Beware

News 18  

Cybersecurity firm Avast has warned Google of 21 adware gaming apps on the Google Play Store of which 19 are still available to download. At the moment, Google is still investigating reports on the adware gaming apps, the company added. After downloading them from Google Play Store, the gaming apps hardly offered anything from what they promoted but bombarded the …

Google removes 3 popular apps from Play Store that were collecting data of kids, here are all details
4 years, 2 months ago

Google removes 3 popular apps from Play Store that were collecting data of kids, here are all details

India Today  

Google removes apps from its Play Store periodically when the apps are caught violating its policies. In the latest instance, the Android maker has deleted three popular apps used by kids from the Play Store after it received concerns from International Digital Accountability Council. The IDCA had found that the three apps, identified as Princess Salon, Number Coloring and Cats …

Attention Android Users, the Google Play Store is Full of Viruses: Beware of What You Download
4 years, 3 months ago

Attention Android Users, the Google Play Store is Full of Viruses: Beware of What You Download

News 18  

Android users, be very careful before downloading an app that you do not know much about. Recent reports surfacing from numerous cyber security organisations state that the Google Play Store is facing an increasing influx of advanced malware now, more than ever before. The case in point is a recent report by cyber security organisation Zscaler, whose ThreatLabZ security research …

Google Removes 17 Android Apps From Play Store After They Were Found Stealing User Data
4 years, 3 months ago

Google Removes 17 Android Apps From Play Store After They Were Found Stealing User Data

News 18  

Google has removed 17 Android applications from its Play Store after they were found to be infected with Joker malware. Zscaler security researcher Viral Gandhi said that Google’s Android Security team took prompt action to remove the suspicious apps from the Google Play store. Further, Zscaler went on to explain the tactics used by the malware author to bypass Google …

Google removes 17 apps from Play Store that intend to gain user data access
4 years, 3 months ago

Google removes 17 apps from Play Store that intend to gain user data access

India Today  

Google has removed 17 Android applications from its official distribution service platform -Play Store. "This spyware is designed to steal SMS messages, contact lists, and device information, along with silently signing up the victim for premium wireless application protocol services," Zscaler security researcher Viral Gandhi said. As soon as Google was notified about the 17 malicious apps that intend to …

A Tip From a Kid Helped Uncover a Slew of Scam Apps
4 years, 3 months ago

A Tip From a Kid Helped Uncover a Slew of Scam Apps

Wired  

Researchers said that a tip from a child led them to discover aggressive adware and exorbitant prices lurking in iOS and Android smartphone apps with a combined 2.4 million downloads from the App Store and Google Play. Posing as apps for entertainment, wallpaper images, or music downloads, some of the titles served intrusive ads even when an app wasn’t active. …

Android Users Alert! The Following 'Fleeceware' Apps Can Cost You Thousands
4 years, 4 months ago

Android Users Alert! The Following 'Fleeceware' Apps Can Cost You Thousands

News 18  

Cybersecurity experts have revealed that a batch of misleading apps on Google Play Store has the potential to dupe users and cost them thousands. Researchers from IT security company Sophos added that these 23 apps clearly violate Google Play Store’s security policies as well. Chandraiah in his blog post detailed that the creators on Google Play use a ‘blind subscription’ …

Android users should uninstall these 36 fraudulent beauty apps, researchers warn
4 years, 6 months ago

Android users should uninstall these 36 fraudulent beauty apps, researchers warn

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Researchers from WhiteOps found fraudulent code in a number of beauty camera applications, with names such as …

Google scraps Mitron and Remove China apps from Play Store
4 years, 7 months ago

Google scraps Mitron and Remove China apps from Play Store

The Hindu  

Google has removed the Mitron and Remove China Apps from its Play Store for policy violations. These quirky ASMR apps offer doses of digital catharsis The Remove China Apps violated Google’s Deceptive Behavior Policy according to a report by TechCrunch. Chinese regulators remove 'Plague Inc' game from Apple's China app store OneTouch AppLabs, the developer of the Remove China Apps, …

Google pulls 'Remove China Apps' from the Play Store
4 years, 7 months ago

Google pulls 'Remove China Apps' from the Play Store

Daily Mail  

An app designed to remove Chinese apps from smartphones and tablets has been pulled from the Google Play Store. The app, called 'Remove China Apps', garnered nearly five million downloads in India, where anti-Chinese sentiment is growing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scroll down for video Remove China Apps garnered almost five million downloads in India where anti-Chinese …

Google removes 'Mitron' and 'Remove China Apps' from its Play Store
4 years, 7 months ago

Google removes 'Mitron' and 'Remove China Apps' from its Play Store

Op India  

The mysterious behaviour of tech-giant Google over its arbitrary regulation of Android apps has yet again come to the fore as Play Store seems to have succumbed to Chinese pressure and has removed two rival apps which had posed a challenge to the Chinese apps. ‘Mitron’ – the popular alternative for TikTok, which was developed by a Pakistan-based software development …

Remove these 100+ Android scam apps if you have them: Here's why
4 years, 8 months ago

Remove these 100+ Android scam apps if you have them: Here's why

India TV News  

A new set of malicious Android apps have been found that could easily hack an Android smartphone. Delete these 103 malicious Android apps A recent report by CyberNews suggests that a network of 27 malign app developers have been found out. The 27 developers made fake Android apps, which were available on the Google Play Store and had a total …

Avoid these iOS apps have Fleeceware and can steal your money
4 years, 8 months ago

Avoid these iOS apps have Fleeceware and can steal your money

India TV News  

Usually, Google Play Store is the one being home to malware-laden apps or the ones with malicious intentions and Apple is the one coming with all the security. The blog post by Sophos Labs reads, "Fleeceware apps are not officially malicious, but they are unethical, preying on consumer trust with devious techniques designed to make money. This suggests that both …

Delete now! These 21 Android apps have ‘Fleeceware’: Know what it is
4 years, 11 months ago

Delete now! These 21 Android apps have ‘Fleeceware’: Know what it is

India TV News  

Google Play Store is prone to malicious apps and the statement stands true as security researchers at UK-based Sophos have yet again found out a new set of Android apps with ‘Fleeceware,’ with the apps crossing millions of downloads. The 21 'Fleeceware' apps According to the Sophos researchers, 17 apps on the Google Play Store are Fleeceware apps. Here are …

Here are the 104 Android apps you should not install from Google Play Store
5 years ago

Here are the 104 Android apps you should not install from Google Play Store

India TV News  

While year-ender lists mostly include the apps you should definitely install and try out, we have a new list of Android apps you should NOT download. According to a security research firm White Ops, there are 104 apps on the Google Play Store that shouldn’t be in your Android smartphones. Here are the 104 apps you shouldn’t go for: 104 …

Google has removed this app from Play Store for being anti-India
5 years, 1 month ago

Google has removed this app from Play Store for being anti-India

India Today  

After removing 29 malicious apps from the Play Store recently, tech giant Google has removed one more app from its Android market. Agreeing to the demand of Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, the company has dropped an app called "2020 Sikh Referendum" from the Play Store for being anti-India. The Cyber Crime Centre of the Bureau of Investigation of Punjab had …

Apple bans these 15 Indian apps from app store, here's why
5 years, 2 months ago

Apple bans these 15 Indian apps from app store, here's why

India Today  

Apple has banned 15 apps from the App store after they were found infected with clickware. Wandera discovered that 17 apps on the App Store were infected with clicker trojan malware. Here are the names of these apps- RTO Vehicle Information, EMI Calculator & Loan Planner, File Manager - Documents, Smart GPS Speedometer, CrickOne - Live Cricket Scores, Daily Fitness …

How 18 Malware Apps Snuck Into Apple's App Store
55 years ago

How 18 Malware Apps Snuck Into Apple's App Store

Wired  

Despite some recent pronounced lapses, the iPhone remains one of the most secure consumer devices you can buy, thanks in large part to the locked-down ecosystem of the iOS App Store. That sort of adware makes regular appearances on Android, in part because that platform’s third-party app stores are riddled with bad actors. Wandera's security software flagged some unusual activity …

Google removes seven stalker apps that may have spied on you
5 years, 5 months ago

Google removes seven stalker apps that may have spied on you

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Google has removed seven stalker apps that were available on its Play Store as apps for children's safety or finding stolen phones but were being used to stalk employees, romantic partners or kids. Mobile threat researchers at anti-virus company Avast detected the apps on Google Play Store that were all likely designed by a Russian developer. "These apps …

Google removes apps allowing spying on partner, kids, employees: Check this list, delete them from your phone
5 years, 5 months ago

Google removes apps allowing spying on partner, kids, employees: Check this list, delete them from your phone

India Today  

The Android universe is quite vulnerable to security threats from various cyber elements, with the most common risk coming for malware infestation. Unlike Apple, Google doesn't have a very tight grasp over what goes on the Play Store and as a result, we often hear Google clearing out numerous apps from the store to prevent further infestation. These apps require …

Google Play Store purges popular Chinese developer's apps on account of ad-fraud
5 years, 8 months ago

Google Play Store purges popular Chinese developer's apps on account of ad-fraud

Firstpost  

Do Global has had up to 46 apps removed from the Google Play Store and many more could bite the dust. Chinese firm DO Global, which makes Android apps, has been deemed by Google as a creator of fraudulent ads on its apps and the Mountain View-based giant has purged most of DO Global’s apps. As per a report by …

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