Information-stealing Android malware spotted on the Play Store
Do note that they have been available during the writing of this article, but may not be by the time you’re reading it. These five apps have over 2 million downloads combined, by the way, Bleeping Computer reports, based on Dr. Web’s report. Bleeping Computer notes that “Adware infections displaying unwanted advertisements that can be particularly intrusive, degrade the user experience, deplete the battery, generate heat, and even cause unauthorized charges”. Such software can also mask itself on the host device, and make money for remote operators. It does that by forcing the victim to perform views or click on affiliated advertisements. Adware is bad enough, but information-stealing Trojans are something completely different. They can be far more dangerous. Why? Well, they steal login credentials for other sites, and those login credentials could include online banking accounts. Dr. Web’s report actually states that adware apps and data-stealing Trojans were amongst the most prominent Android threats in May 2022. That’s not surprising, though, the situation wasn’t that much different in prior months either.
Five malware-plagued apps are still available
Now, it was mentioned that five apps are still available in the Play Store. Those apps are: PIP Pic Camera Photo Editor (1 million downloads), Wild & Exotic Animal Wallpaper (500,000 downloads), ZodiHoroscope (500,000 downloads), PIP Camera 2022 (50,000 downloads), and Magnifier Flashlight (10,000 downloads).
Bleeping Computer notes that Google has been contacted about those apps. Several other apps, including a racing game, have also been spotted, but those have since been removed by Google.
The source also notes that Researchers at Cyble have also spotted the Hydra banking trojan on the Google Play Store. It has been targeting banking customers in Europe. It has disguised itself as a PDF document manager, actually, as shown below. That app has been removed, though.
