More password-stealing apps spotted - Check your phone
You probably have apps on your phone that you never use or perform the same function as programs that came with your device. All those extra apps are just slowing things down. Tap or click here for steps to keep your phone fast and safe.
When it comes to malicious apps, Android users need to be more careful than Apple fans. One reason is there are more Android users globally, so cybercriminals see them as a more promising target.
As you may have already guessed, more bad apps have been found in the Google Play Store. These are designed to steal your passwords. Read on to find out what you should do next to stay protected.
Here’s the backstory
We always advise only to download apps from the official Google Play Store. That’s because Google has a more robust vetting process than third-party app stores. But sometimes, bad apps will slip through the cracks.
A malicious app risks your devices being infected with malware, and some can steal things like banking passwords to social media credentials. According to Bitdefender researchers, criminals have been using dropper apps recently to spread the SharkBot banking Trojan.
The problem has grown since October. Several apps hiding SharkBot have been spotted in the Google Play Store and have been downloaded more than 130,000 times.
One such app is a file manager application that requests permission to install external packages, a standard request for this type of app.
Bitdefender explained that permission is then used to infect your device with malware. It helps bypass Google’s security checks in the Play Store. You see, the apps are clean when you download them, so the malicious activity isn’t detected.
But once the app is on your device and you permit it to install external packages, it will infect your gadget with malware. It’s quite devious. This scheme was spotted targeting people in Italy. However, it can expand globally whenever the bad actors choose. So you must be vigilant.
Malicious apps found in Google Play Store
In the case of the Italian malware package, it checks whether the phone is in Italy. If it is, it launches a fake Google Play Store page impersonating the app page, including inflated reviews and downloads.
If you see this app warning on your phone, DO NOT ignore it
Malware droppers are hard to spot in the wild. They disguise themselves as legitimate login screens, fooling even the savviest of techies. Luckily, Google is making it easier to thwart hackers with a new malware warning.
Dangerous antivirus app is hiding malware - Remove it from your phone now
Cybercriminals are getting craftier by the week, managing to sneak dangerous malware into different places. Last week a QR code app was caught hiding the banking trojan TeaBot.
In a worrying trend, cybercriminals are becoming more effective in sneaking malware into official apps stores. Even though Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store have strict guidelines, now and then, a malicious app slips through the cracks.