Technology
Driving apps pulled from Google Play Store for installing malware
As many as 13 games available to download in the Google Play Store were actually Android malware and downloaded more than 560,000 times, a security researcher said this week.
The apps, listed as car and truck simulators and racing games, are no longer on the store. TechCrunch reports that an Android security researcher found that the games were just a cover to download malware in the background.
Don’t install these apps from Google Play – it’s malware.
Details:
-13 apps
-all together 560,000+ installs
-after launch, hide itself icon
-downloads additional APK and makes user install it (unavailable now)
-2 apps are #Trending
-no legitimate functionality
-reported pic.twitter.com/1WDqrCPWFo— Lukas Stefanko (@LukasStefanko) November 19, 2018
A Google spokesperson confirmed the apps were removed from the store, “Providing a safe and secure experience for our users is our top priority. We appreciate the researcher’s report and their efforts to help make Google Play more secure. The apps violated our policies and have been removed from the Play Store.”
The apps all came from a developer named Luiz O Pinto. A page on app discovery portal Softonic lists all the apps the researcher says were infecting users and that Google has since removed. On that site, every app lists zero downloads.
If the 560,000 installs is an accurate number, this is one of the biggest breaches the Google Play Store has experienced.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘1453039084979896’);
if (window._geo == ‘GB’) {
fbq(‘init’, ‘322220058389212’);
}
if (window.mashKit) {
mashKit.gdpr.trackerFactory(function() {
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
}).render();
}
-
Entertainment6 days ago
‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4 ending explained: Who killed Sazz and why?
-
Entertainment7 days ago
Polling 101: Weighting, probability panels, recall votes, and reaching people by mail
-
Entertainment5 days ago
When will we have 2024 election results online?
-
Entertainment6 days ago
5 Dyson Supersonic dupes worth the hype in 2024
-
Entertainment4 days ago
Halloween 2024: Weekend debates, obscure memes, and a legacy of racism
-
Entertainment5 days ago
Social media drives toxic fandom. Is there a solution?
-
Entertainment4 days ago
Is ‘The Substance’ streaming? How to watch at home
-
Entertainment4 days ago
M4 MacBook Pro vs. M3 MacBook Pro: What are the differences?