Security experts believe that harmful smartphone applications are still widespread within official app stores, specifically on Google Play, where several malicious applications containing adware and info-stealers have been found and have amassed millions of downloads from users.
If a user gets infected with adware, many bothersome advertisements will bombard their device. Moreover, adware infections can also cause degraded user experience, depleted battery life, device overheating, and unauthorised charges.
On the other hand, the info-stealing trojans steal users’ login credentials, especially from the sites they could benefit most, such as social media and digital banking accounts.
Reports revealed that Android devices were among the most attacked platforms last month, with adware and info-stealing trojans being the most active malicious tools used by threat actors. Spyware apps are also included in the list, which could steal data from notifications sent by mobile apps, such as collecting MFA and OTP codes to take over users’ accounts.
Some malicious Google Play applications that have amassed millions of user downloads include PIP Camera 2022, PIP Pic Camera Photo Editor, ZodiHoroscope, Wild & Exotic Animal Wallpaper, and Magnifier Flashlight.
According to the security researchers, these malware-infected apps still exist in the Google Play Store and collect massive user downloads daily.
The PIP Pic Camera Photo Editor is the most downloaded among all the mentioned apps, with about a million downloads. Reports revealed that this application is injected with an adware trojan, which replaces its app icon and name with ‘SIM Tool Kit’ and will include itself in the battery-saving exceptions list upon being downloaded.
The researchers are still waiting for Google’s response about the applications and for them to verify if the malicious apps have already been cleaned or still pose security risks to all the users who have installed them.
Upon seeing some of the reviews of the said apps on Google Play, many users complain that the apps do not deliver their purpose and show suspicious dysfunctions on a device.
