The Play Store has been infiltrated by malware again! McAfee security experts have identified 16 rogue Android apps that fraudulently generate revenue through web advertisements, draining smartphone batteries.
Hackers are constantly on the lookout for new techniques in order to make a quick buck off their victim’s backs. And for that, applications from the Play Store are a real godsend for them, since they can introduce viruses incognito. That’s why you have to be very careful about what you download on your Android smartphone! Although Google has many tools to keep rogue applications out of its store, hackers are constantly developing new strategies to circumvent them. Lately, the McAfee computer security researchers discovered new malware in 16 Play Store apps. Called Clicker, it simulates clicks on advertisements, making advertisers believe that their advertisements generate a lot of interactions – and in the process earning a lot of money via affiliate links. This is simply ad fraud. In addition, this process very quickly drains the battery of the smartphone!
Clicker: 16 new infected apps on the Play Store
As McAffe explains, victims don’t realize they have malware on their phone, since all clicks are simulated in the background. The problem is that the smartphone is therefore constantly used, which has an impact on its autonomy since this underlying activity drains the energy of the battery, and even the mobile data. To be sure that the victim does not detect anything, Clicker does not trigger as soon as it is installed – the user could establish a link – and waits about an hour before starting its fraud.
Here is the list of infected applications detected by McAfee which, in total, have accumulated more than 20 million downloads on the Play Store – and therefore as many potential victims. These are apps that provide legitimate functions, like a flashlight, QR readers, unit converters, and task managers. They have since been removed from stores, but they absolutely must be uninstalled if they are already present on the smartphone.
- High-Speed Camera – 10,000,000 downloads
- Smart Task Manager – 5,000,000 downloads
- Flashlight+ – 1,000,000 downloads
- 달력메모장 – 1,000,000 downloads
- K-Dictionary – 1,000,000 downloads
- BusanBus – 1,000,000 downloads
- Flashlight+ – 500,000 downloads
- Quick Note – 500,000 downloads
- Currency Converter – 500,000 downloads
- Joycode – 100,000 downloads
- EzDica – 100,000 downloads
- Instagram Profile Downloader – 100,000 downloads
- Ez Notes – 100,000 downloads
- 손전등 – 1,000 downloads
- 계산기 – 100 downloads
- Flashlight+ – 100 downloads.
Malware is very – too – often detected in the Play Store, despite the checks and verifications carried out beforehand. That’s why it’s important to keep in mind that just because you download an app from the official Google store doesn’t mean you don’t run any risk. This is why some precautions should be taken. Don’t install apps you don’t really need and don’t forget to delete the ones you no longer use. While downloading, some details may catch your attention. Typically, developer accounts feature only one app, with very short privacy policies – of course, they won’t reveal the full range of activities the app can perform. You should also be wary of software that is never linked to a company name or website, or that asks for permissions that they don’t theoretically need to perform their functions – a flashlight doesn’t have no need to have access to your documents and media. Either way, it’s best to have an antivirus running in the background to double-check that malicious behavior isn’t at work in secret.