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 2019. They said despite many security improvements provided by the Android ecosystem, the security posture of Android devices with respect to unwanted apps is not better than that of Microsoft Windows hosts. To compare distribution vectors, researchers calculated vector detection ratio, by finding the ratio of unwanted apps installed via a vector over all apps installed via the same vector.

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History of this topic

Google Play Apps with 1.5 million installs found sending sensitive data to China: Details
1 year, 5 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, 7 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, 7 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 …

Strict rules for lending apps, combating malware underline Google’s Play Store
1 year, 7 months ago

Strict rules for lending apps, combating malware underline Google’s Play Store

Hindustan Times  

Google has revealed some numbers, which perhaps best illustrate the problem, of how malicious apps and their developers, are attempting to hoodwink unsuspecting users. {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} The company’s data suggests they prevented as many as 1.43 million apps from being published on the Play Store for Android users, which violated one or more policy conditions. {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} …

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 …

Hundreds Of Android And iOS Apps Put Millions At Risk: Uninstall Now
1 year, 10 months ago

Hundreds Of Android And iOS Apps Put Millions At Risk: Uninstall Now

News 18  

The week has started with a serious concern for smartphone users across the globe. The list of the apps have been given by the DES and NCSA which includes apps like: – 4K Pro Camera – Beat Maker Pro – Art Filters – Blue Scanner – Chat SMS – Cool Messages – Easy PDF Scanner – Frames, Funny Caller – …

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

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, 5 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, 8 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, 8 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 …

New Malware In Disguise Of Crypto Wallets Can Steal Money From Android and iOS Devices
2 years, 8 months ago

New Malware In Disguise Of Crypto Wallets Can Steal Money From Android and iOS Devices

News 18  

Mobile users have another malware alert this week, and this one is in disguise as crypto wallets on the App Store and is capable of stealing your money. As per the security report from ESET, the malware-infected crypto apps have been discovered in Android and iOS app stores. The design of the malware within the app meant users or the …

New Android Malware Can Steal Your Password, Already One Million Phones Affected
2 years, 9 months ago

New Android Malware Can Steal Your Password, Already One Million Phones Affected

News 18  

Android phone users need to be aware of a new malware that has the ability to steal passwords and has already been installed by over a million users. Security researchers have alerted users about the new malware called FaceStealer that has disguised itself into an app called Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools, which basically lets you upload your photo and recreate …

Several streaming apps on Samsung's Galaxy Store potentially include malware: How to protect your phone
2 years, 11 months ago

Several streaming apps on Samsung's Galaxy Store potentially include malware: How to protect your phone

India Today  

Samsung Galaxy Store seems to have some malware-ridden apps, as per a report published by Android Police. It is one of the major app stores and is present on every Samsung smartphone, along with Google Play Store. The cited source suggests that Samsung’s Galaxy Store features several clones of the Showbox app, which is a popular app known for offering …

Over 300,000 Android users downloaded Trojan malware apps that steal banking details, delete them now
3 years ago

Over 300,000 Android users downloaded Trojan malware apps that steal banking details, delete them now

India Today  

If you use an Android phone, you need to be more careful about downloading just any app. Researchers have discovered that over 300,000 users downloaded what turned out to be banking trojan malware after it managed to bypass the Google Play Store’s security. Several commonly downloaded apps are a front for four different forms of malware, one of which can …

Google removed 150 malicious apps from Play Store, check the list
3 years, 1 month 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 …

Android smartphone users alert! Remove these 9 apps with hidden Trojan virus
3 years, 5 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 …

Cybersecurity Firm Avast Warns Google of 21 Adware Gaming Apps on Play Store, Android Users Beware
4 years, 1 month 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 …

Attention Android Users, the Google Play Store is Full of Viruses: Beware of What You Download
4 years, 2 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, 2 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, 2 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 …

Android Users Alert! The Following 'Fleeceware' Apps Can Cost You Thousands
4 years, 3 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’ …

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