Dozens more shape-shifting malicious Android apps discovered

Date:
Thu, 18 Aug 2022 21:56:38 +0000

Description:
Malicious Android apps are lurking in the Play Store, waiting to serve ads
and malware to unsuspecting users

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Three dozen malicious Android apps have been discovered on the Google Play Store, showing once again that downloading from a proven source is not a sufficient security practice.

Cybersecurity researchers from Bitdefender discovered a total of 35 Android apps on the Google Play Store that serve dangerous ads to their victims, and try their hardest to hide and prevent the users from removing them.

The malware , ranging from GPS apps, to photo editors, to charging screensavers, have been downloaded more than two million times, the researchers said, if we consider the available public data. That means the total number is probably even greater. Hiding from the users

Simply serving ads to the endpoints isnt malicious in itself, the researchers explained, but the problem lies in the fact that these apps do it through their own framework, meaning nothings stopping them from serving more dangerous malware, too, or even ransomware. Whats more, if the ads are served aggressively (which they are), they hurt the user experience, as well.

Another aspect that makes these apps malicious is that they hide from the victims in order to avoid being deleted.

As soon as the victim downloads one of the malicious apps, it will change its entire appearance (both icon and name) into something else, often into apps users would be afraid to delete (System Settings, or something along those lines). Read more

This Android malware is so dangerous, even Google is worried

Millions of Android devices infected with wallet-draining malware

These are the best Android apps right now

Even though Google has improved its Play Store vetting system throughout the years, malicious developers still manage to squeeze quite a few apps past the bouncers, and into one of the worlds greatest app repositories.

Thats why the researchers are suggesting that even when users want to
download an app from the official play store, they should double-check that
it has enough downloads, and enough positive reviews and comments. Threat actors can use bots to fake reviews and ratings, but they cant do it en
masse. Furthermore, having a mobile antivirus wouldn't hurt. These are the best identity theft solutions right now



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/dozens-more-shape-shifting-malicious-android-ap ps-discovered/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)