The Google Play Store has been detected to carry these 35 Android apps that are infected with malware.
There have been numerous malicious Android apps that have been detected to have bypassed the security measures of the Google Play Store. Some of these apps are still available on the Google Play Store for users to download.
There seems to be a new malware campaign in app stores in which a number of apps use deceptive pretexts to persuade users to download and install them.
After installation, the apps change their names and display intrusive advertisements.
Bitdefender has discovered 35 programs that were secretly uploaded to the Google Play store, with a combined total of more than two million downloads, assuming the publicly available data.
Malicious Android Apps
Malicious actors have come up with numerous creative ways to continue their operations nowadays. An example of this is the recent malware campaign on the Google Play Store.
Malicious hackers have increased their efforts to have malicious applications listed on the Google Play Store, which is the source of the most Android apps downloaded around the world.
According to Bitdefender researchers, they can still find malicious apps that use a wide variety of strategies to get around Google's platform security checks, despite the fact that these checks have been improved over the years by the company.
If users happen to download one of these apps, they all have one thing in common, they aggressively serve advertisements to the users to make money off of their presence on Google Play.
There are numerous legitimate apps out there in the play stores that also display ads. It is one way for them to monetize their presence in that specific store.
However, these malicious apps that have been mentioned are different. These ones display advertisements by way of their own framework, which deploys malware to their users.
In a legitimate app, users can just delete or uninstall apps anytime they want in an easy manner. However, deleting these kinds of apps will be tricky since they change their icons and names, as well as require additional steps to hide their presence on one's mobile device.
The List of Malicious Android Apps
If users have noticed that they have these apps on their devices, it is highly recommended for users to remove or uninstall them.
Since the applications disguise themselves as Settings, it may be helpful to use a mobile antivirus tool to track them down and delete them to avoid any confusion.
As reported by BleepingComputer, below is the list of the most popular malicious Android apps that were detected.
- Animated Sticker Master 1.0 (am.asm.master)
- Art Filter - Deep Photoeffect 2.0 (gb.crediblefifty.editconvincingeight)
- Big Emoji - Keyboard 5.0 (gb.blindthirty.funkeyfour)
- Create Sticker for Whatsapp 2.0 (gb.convincingmomentumeightyverified.realgamequicksix)
- EffectMania - Photo Editor 2.0 (gb.actualfifty.sevenelegantvideo)
- Engine Wallpapers (gb.helectronsoftforty.comlivefour)
- Fast Emoji Keyboard APK (de.eightylamocenko.editioneights)
- Grand Wallpapers - 3D Backdrops 2.0 (gb.convenientsoftfiftyreal.threeborder)
- GPS Location Finder (smart.ggps.lockakt)
- Image Warp Camera
- Led Theme - Colorful Keyboard 2.0 (gb.theme.twentythreetheme)
- Math Solver - Camera Helper 2.0 (gb.labcamerathirty.mathcamera)
- Personality Charging Show 1.0 (com.charging.show)
- Photopix Effects - Art Filter 2.0 (gb.mega.sixtyeffectcameravideo)
- Stock Wallpapers (gb.fiftysubstantiated.wallsfour)
- Sleep Sounds 1.0 (com.voice.sleep.sounds)
- Walls light - Wallpapers Pack (gb.packlivewalls.fournatewren)
As of writing, the apps GPS Location Finder, Animated Sticker Master, and Walls Light - Wallpapers Pack are still available on the Google App Store.
