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 but the damage was done. According to cyber security researchers at Check Point, the apps infected over 15,000 users with Sharkbot Android malware which steals credentials and banking information. It also makes use of something called domain generation algorithm, an aspect rarely used in the world of Android malware," according to the Check Point report.

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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
3 weeks, 5 days 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 Removes 43 Android Apps with 2.5 Million Downloads Violating Play Store Policy: How to Protect Your Device"
1 year, 4 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, 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 …

Popular Android app is secretly SPYING on users - what to do if you have it installed
1 year, 6 months ago

Popular Android app is secretly SPYING on users - what to do if you have it installed

Daily Mail  

Cybersecurity experts have warned that a popular Android app is secretly spying on users as part of a potential espionage campaign. iRecorder secretly steals pictures, files and web information on Android devices 'Interestingly here is that the app passed initial tests to get on the Google Play store but it was the update that carried the malicious activity,' Jake Moore, …

Beware of this new android malware that steals your passwords: Know-more
1 year, 7 months ago

Beware of this new android malware that steals your passwords: Know-more

India TV News  

A new Android malware known as 'FluHorse' has been discovered, which targets users in Eastern Asia with malicious apps that look like legitimate versions with over 1,00,000 installs. Moreover, the report said that upon installation, all three fake apps request SMS access in order to intercept incoming 2FA codes in case they are required to hijack the accounts. The fake …

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 …

Crypto scam app bypass security restrictions on Apple and Google app stores: Report
1 year, 10 months ago

Crypto scam app bypass security restrictions on Apple and Google app stores: Report

The Hindu  

Cybercriminals operating crypto scam apps have found a way to bypass security protocols on Apple and Google official app stores to publish fraudulent apps, a report from Sophos cybersecurity shared. Threat actors are remotely changing content to make fake apps slide through the official review process of Apple and Google app stores to post apps which are then used to …

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 …

These Android apps may be draining your phone’s battery, remove them immediately
2 years, 2 months ago

These Android apps may be draining your phone’s battery, remove them immediately

Live Mint  

Technology giant Google has reportedly removed 16 apps from its play store after receiving a report the apps were causing battery drain and using more data than usual. Now removed, the apps were previously listed on Google Play Store as utility apps and provided legitimate functions, including flashlight, camera, QR reading, and measurement conversions. List of apps detected by McAfee …

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 …

These 8 Malware Infected Android Apps Were Downloaded Over 3 Million Times: What To Do If You Have Any
2 years, 5 months ago

These 8 Malware Infected Android Apps Were Downloaded Over 3 Million Times: What To Do If You Have Any

News 18  

Android is one of the malware-prone operating systems. Now, a malware named Autolycos has made its way to the Google Play Store and is found to be bundled with eight popular apps on the Play Store, resulting in over 3 million downloads. The malware has been found to be present in at least eight Android apps, all of which have …

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 …

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 …

Hacking Alert: Delete These 7 Apps From Your Android Phone Right Now
3 years ago

Hacking Alert: Delete These 7 Apps From Your Android Phone Right Now

News 18  

Mobile security solutions firm Pradeo has alerted Android phone users about a new strain of the infamous Joker malware infecting new apps on the official Google Play store. This malware had created a major mobile security risk last year as it was infecting legit Android apps on Google Play Store. Recently, an analyst at Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky named Tatyana Shishkova, …

Android banking trojans targeted over 300,000 devices
3 years ago

Android banking trojans targeted over 300,000 devices

The Hindu  

Over 300,000 devices downloaded banking trojans after falling victims to a malware that bypassed Google Play restrictions. The most prolific of these was Anatsa, an advanced Android banking trojan with the ability to steal credentials, which captured everything shown on the user’s screen, according to ThreatFabric. How banking trojans infect the device Upon the start of installation from Google Play, …

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 …

Joker Malware Is Back: Delete These 15 Apps From Your Android Phones Right Now
3 years, 1 month ago

Joker Malware Is Back: Delete These 15 Apps From Your Android Phones Right Now

News 18  

NEW DELHI: Analyst at Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, Tatyana Shishkova, took to Twitter to alert Android phone users about the return of the potent Joker malware on Google play store. Joker malware tends to infect popular apps on Google Play store and enter the user’s phone when the apps are downloaded. Joker malware is able to make its way to Google …

Attn Android Users! These 7 Android Apps Will Infect Your Phone With Joker Malware
3 years, 1 month ago

Attn Android Users! These 7 Android Apps Will Infect Your Phone With Joker Malware

News 18  

Every now and then, we get to know about apps that contain malware. The seven apps that have been found to have Joker malware are QRcode Scan, EmojiOne keyboard, Battery Charging Animations Battery Wallpaper, Dazzling Keyboard, Volume Booster Loud Sound Equaliser, Super Hero Effect, and Classic Emoji Keyboard. The malicious apps were first found by an Android malware analyst at …

Attn Android Users! Immediately Delete Any Of These 151 Apps From Your Phone: Here's Why
3 years, 1 month ago

Attn Android Users! Immediately Delete Any Of These 151 Apps From Your Phone: Here's Why

News 18  

Malware or malicious apps are commonplace right now. According to a recent find from Cybersecurity software company Avast, 151 Android apps were part of a premium SMS scam campaign. The scam campaign, dubbed UltimaSMS used fake Android apps to sign up people for expensive SMS services. The apps disguised themselves as tools across multiple categories like custom keyboards, QR code …

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 …

Free apps that scam people later made $400 million in revenue, report says
3 years, 8 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, 1 month 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, 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’ …

Govt Agency Warns About 'BlackRock' Malware That Steals Bank Data; Check Details & Precautions To Follow
4 years, 4 months ago

Govt Agency Warns About 'BlackRock' Malware That Steals Bank Data; Check Details & Precautions To Follow

ABP News  

The virus threat is especially serious as it can go unchecked by the majority of anti-virus scanners. India's cybersecurity agency Computer Emergency Response Team of India has warned citizens against a dangerous Android malware called 'BlackRock', which can "steal" banking and other sensitive data of a user.The malware has the potential to extract login credentials and credit card details from …

BlackRock: A new Android malware could target 337 apps including Instagram, Gmail, Twitter others
4 years, 5 months ago

BlackRock: A new Android malware could target 337 apps including Instagram, Gmail, Twitter others

Firstpost  

Reportedly, BlacRock isn’t on the Play Store as of now, but is getting to devices by being offered as a fake Google Update on third-party stores. A new Android malware has recently been reported, which is apparently equipped with data theft capabilities that allow it to target 337 Android applications. The report reveals that BlackRock steals credentials such as username …

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