Delete Apps From Android Phones: Here’s why you should delete these apps from your Android phones
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Cyber security company McAfee has identified about 25 malicious apps for Android smartphones. It has published a list of some apps that have more than 1,00,000 instals each. These apps have reportedly infected 338,300 devices via a previously unknown Android backdoor named ‘Xamalicious‘.
According to the McAfee Mobile Research Team, Android devices are infected in two stages.First, the app tries to gain accessibility privileges with social engineering and then communicates with the command-and-control server to evaluate whether or not to download a second-stage payload.
If the second payload is downloaded and installed, it takes full control of the device and potentially performs fraudulent, financially motivated actions such as clicking on ads without user consent, a report by the company said.
These apps used the Xamarin framework which allowed the malware authors to stay active and without detection for a long time. Along with it, they implemented different types of obfuscation techniques to exfiltrate data and communicate with the command-and-control server.
Countries that were hit the most
According to McAfee, most infections were installed on devices in the US, Germany, Spain, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. It also said that users have installed these apps since mid-2020.
List of apps on Google Play that were infected
According to the McAfee Mobile Research Team, Android devices are infected in two stages.First, the app tries to gain accessibility privileges with social engineering and then communicates with the command-and-control server to evaluate whether or not to download a second-stage payload.
If the second payload is downloaded and installed, it takes full control of the device and potentially performs fraudulent, financially motivated actions such as clicking on ads without user consent, a report by the company said.
These apps used the Xamarin framework which allowed the malware authors to stay active and without detection for a long time. Along with it, they implemented different types of obfuscation techniques to exfiltrate data and communicate with the command-and-control server.
Countries that were hit the most
According to McAfee, most infections were installed on devices in the US, Germany, Spain, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. It also said that users have installed these apps since mid-2020.
List of apps on Google Play that were infected
| App Name | Installs |
| Essential Horoscope for Android | 100,000 |
| 3D Skin Editor for PE Minecraft | 100,000 |
| Logo Maker Pro | 100,000 |
| Auto Click Repeater | 10,000 |
| Count Easy Calorie Calculator | 10,000 |
| Sound Volume Extender | 5,000 |
| LetterLink | 1,000 |
| NUMEROLOGY: PERSONAL HOROSCOPE &NUMBER PREDICTIONS | 1,000 |
| Step Keeper: Easy Pedometer | 500 |
| Track Your Sleep | 500 |
| Sound Volume Booster | 100 |
| Astrological Navigator: Daily Horoscope & Tarot | 100 |
| Universal Calculator | 100 |
The report also said that the apps that were on Google Play have been removed, and there is no information on the removal of other apps that were installed from unofficial third-party app stores.
Previous reports have suggested that despite checks in place, Google Play isn’t immune to malware uploads. The company has been working on multiple features to spot malicious apps. On their part, Android users should refrain from downloading apps from third-party sources, use only essential apps, read user reviews before installing the apps and conduct a background check on the app’s developer/publisher.
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