Of the 25 infected apps, 13 were also available in the Google Play Store.
The new year has begun, but apps that attack Android users' devices are still around. McAfee Mobile Research Team these days published A list of 25 apps, most of which, 13 specifically, were also available in the Google Play Store, he wrote. BGR.
Of course, Google has since removed all of these apps from the App Store, but those who still have one on their phone should get rid of them as soon as possible. Each app has between 100,000 and 100,000 downloads and has been infected with malware called Xamalicious. The list of affected applications is as follows:
- Basic horoscope for android
- 3D skin editor for PE Minecraft
- Logo Maker Pro
- Auto click repeater
- Easy calorie counting calculator
- Volume expander
- Letterlink
- Numerology: Personal horoscopes and number predictions
- Step Keeper: Easy pedometer
- Track your sleep
- Sound volume booster
- Astrological Navigator: Daily Horoscopes and Tarot
- Universal calculator
These applications first gain access to ancillary services and then start connecting to a remote server without the user's knowledge. From there, they download another piece of mobile malware, which can take control of the smartphone.
There were also cases where financial operations were carried out in this way. To avoid such risks, it is worth downloading applications only from the Play Store, and it is also useful to turn on the Play Protect function.