Around ten million Android users have installed at least one app that includes malware. In total, there are currently around thirty infected applications and the damage ranges from the display of intrusive advertisements to the theft of Facebook accounts, through registration for paid services.
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Every month, if not every week, cybersecurity companies discover malware in popular apps available on the Play store, Google’s app store. This time it’s Dr Web which discovered about thirty infected applications, and in total, they have been installed nearly 10 million times on smartphones or tablets.
Diverse and varied, these applications offer image editing tools, keyboards virtual apps, system optimizers, wallpapers, yoga exercises… Nothing but popular utilities! However, after downloading them, they install adware that display intrusive advertisements. Some even push users to subscribe to paid services. Worse, others are capable of steal usernames and passwords accounts on social networks.
Background operation
When installed, these apps ask for permission to overlay Windows on any application. Other popular apps offer it, and it’s a classic. They are also asking to be added to the exclusion list of thebattery saver in order to continue to operate in the background even when the application is closed, and this is where the trap lies… Moreover, to install themselves incognito, they hide their icons or replace them with an already known icon.
Dr. Web has thus identified Neon Theme Keyboard among those that pollute the smartphone with advertisements. It has more than a million downloads, even though its profile includes only negative opinions. There are also those that include additional fees by subscribing users to premium services. This is the case of Water Reminder and Yoga – For Beginner to Advancedstill on Play store, with 100,000 and 50,000 downloads respectively. Finally, there are those capable of stealing account information such as YouToon – AI Cartoon Effect and Pista – Cartoon Photo Effect which together have more than 1.5 million downloads.
Trojan Horses
The most worrying thing is that the malware used by these applications has been rampant for two months, and that Google’s protection tools still cannot spot them even though they are genuine. Trojans. Equally worrying, Google didn’t remove all of these apps despite revealing these security issues.
Here is the complete list of infected applications, and they are obviously to be uninstalled completely. The best thing is then to spend a anti-virus to prevent traces of malware from remaining; in case of doubt, a return to factory settings with a complete reset of the smartphone or tablet.
- Photo Editor: Beauty Filter (gb.artfilter.tenvarnist)
- Photo Editor: Retouch & Cutout (de.nineergysh.quickarttwo)
- Photo Editor: Art Filters (gb.painnt.moonlightingnine)
- Photo Editor – Design Maker (gb.twentynine.redaktoridea)
- Photo Editor & Background Eraser (de.photoground.twentysixshot)
- Photo & Exif Editor (de.xnano.photoexifeditornine)
- Photo Editor – Filters Effects (de.hitopgop.sixtyeightgx)
- Photo Filters & Effects (de.sixtyonecollice.cameraroll)
- Photo Editor: Blur Image (de.instgang.fiftyggfife)
- Photo Editor: Cut, Paste (de.fiftyninecamera.rollredactor)
- Emoji Keyboard: decals & GIF (gb.crazykey.sevenboard)
- Neon Theme Keyboard (com.neonthemekeyboard.app)
- Neon Theme – android Keyboard (com.androidneonkeyboard.app)
- Cashe Cleaner (com.cachecleanereasytool.app)
- Fancy Charging (com.fancyanimatedbattery.app)
- FastCleaner: Cashe Cleaner (com.fastcleanercashecleaner.app)
- Call Skins – Caller Themes (com.rockskinthemes.app)
- Funny Caller (com.funnycallercustomtheme.app)
- CallMe Phone Themes (com.callercallwallpaper.app)
- InCall: Contact Background (com.mycallcustomcallscrean.app)
- MyCall – Call Personalization (com.mycallcallpersonalization.app)
- Caller Theme (com.caller.theme.slow)
- Caller Theme (com.callertheme.firstref)
- Funny Wallpapers – Live Screen (com.funnywallpapaerslive.app)
- 4K Wallpapers Auto Changer (de.andromo.ssfiftylivesixcc)
- NewScrean: 4D Wallpapers (com.newscrean4dwallpapers.app)
- Stock Wallpapers & Backgrounds (de.stockeighty.onewallpapers)
- Notes – reminders and lists (com.notesreminderslists.app)
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