An Android Malware prowling around Google Play is very unlikely but it is still possible. A Trojanized version of the "Bad Piggies," a sequel of the blockbuster game Angry Birds, was spotted on Google Play store. It was cunningly distributed as "Bad Pigs."
As of reporting, the Bad Pigs malware app had been pulled out from Google Play but not after being downloaded more than 10,000 times since May.
F-Secure, a backup, anti-virus, cloud, and firewall solutions provider, was the first one to spot the Bad Pig on Google Play and immediately reported the compromised app to Google.
"Look out for these bad Bad Piggies," F-Secure tweeted.
The link that came with the tweet announcement led followers to its blog that discussed the Bad Pig malware. F-Secure reported that the app is quite fishy given that the contact address of the developer was provided as hgfdhsdgjhd@gmail.com for a certain Dan Stokes. The app also had a very long list of permissions.
The permissions of the said app will allow it to alter certain settings, peek into personal information, know the user's location, among other suspicious things
"These particular piggies aren't just bad - they're evil," F-Secure described the Bad Pigs app in its blog post.
Aside from Bad Pigs, F-Secure also spotted other apps by the said developer. Other Android malware-infested apps include titles such as "Fruit Chop Ninja" (a ripoff version of Fruit Ninja by Halfbrick Studios) with over 10,000 downloads and "Paper Toss 2" (a ripoff version of Paper Toss 2.0 by Backflip Studios) with more than a thousand downloads.
F-Secure reported the other infected apps to Google and the developers of the original apps. The malware apps are no longer available on Google Play.
"The fake installer app isn't classified as 'malicious,' which is may be why it got past Google's bouncer," explained Sean Sullivan, a security advisor at F-Secure, when interviewed by PC Mag.
What to do with an infected phone?
Android phone users who have downloaded the Big Pig, Fruit Chop Ninja or Paper Toss 2 need to find these apps and delete them. One can go to Android App Manager via the Settings Menu to get rid of the app.
F-Security said its mobile security product can detect such malware and block them as necessary. There are also other tools Android users can use such as Bitdefender Mobile Security and Lookout.
