As the mobile operating system with the largest user base, Android often falls victim to the bad guys, and despite Google’s measures to protect users, malicious apps still appear on the Play Store and deceive. many people download.
Eleven apps containing malware that collect user data have been discovered by security researchers at AppCensus. Notably, these 11 apps were downloaded a total of at least 60 million times on the Google app store. Applications include:
- Speed Camera Radar
- Al-Moazin Lite (Prayer Times)
- Wi-Fi Mouse (remote control PC)
- QR & Barcode Scanner (AppSource Hub)
- Qibla Compass – Ramadan 2022
- Simple weather & clock widget (Difer)
- Handcent Next SMS-Text with MMS
- Smart Kit 360
- Al Quran MP3 – 50 Reciters & Translation Audio
- Full Quran MP3 – 50+ Languages & Translation Audio
- Audiosdroid Audio Studio DAW
These apps sound useful at first, with capabilities like QR code reading, weather forecasts, messaging services, and more, and they’re all free to easily entice users to download.
After receiving warnings from security researchers, Google took down all those apps, until March 25, 2022, they are still no longer on the Play Store. However, the surprise is that they returned to the Play Store around the beginning of April.
Measurement Systems, a company based in Panama, has paid developers to include the company’s malicious code in apps, according to The Wall Street Journal. These codes then allow the company to collect user data from the app, including phone numbers, email addresses, and GPS data.
Although Google promises to verify the problem-free apps before re-release on the Play Store, but after all those scandals, experts advise to be very careful when using these applications.
Reference: PA