It's not news that even official stores like the App Store and the Play Store have numerous applications that are infected by viruses. Many of them have already been banned from these platforms, but it is almost impossible to control everything that enters. Knowing that these dangerous applications can cause a lot of harm to users, we have prepared a list for you to know which ones you should not download or which you will need to remove immediately.
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Dangerous apps present in the Play Store
Even the most seemingly harmless tools in the Google store can hide some malware, as cybercriminals remain finding clever ways to embed this malicious software into apps that are popular and, at least initially, promise to help people in something.
More than 190 apps available for Android containing a type of malware called “Harley” have been installed by users since 2020. Harley is able to steal money through expensive subscription plans. No wonder you have to be very careful with him!
Similar to another called Joker, cybercriminals who use Harley to infect devices with the Android operating system. How does it happen in practice? They download regular apps from the Play Store, then insert malicious code and load these “new” apps back under a different name.
In this way, the changed tools still have the features of the original versions, they are listed in their Play Store pages, so most users don't suspect anything and end up downloading the infected version.
While there is an estimate that the number of downloads of these dangerous apps is 4.8 million, the truth is that the real number could be much higher. Once installed, the malware begins to collect data about the person's device, as well as the network to which it is connected. With that, the device switches from Wi-Fi to a mobile network, then the Harley contacts the C&C servers to create a list of paid subscriptions to sign up for.
Later, the malware opens the subscriber's websites through an invisible window and enters the victim's cell phone number. He is still able to enter any confirmation code sent via message of text. Ultimately, this is how victims sign up for subscription services without even noticing.
How to avoid this type of malware?
To protect yourself, it's important to seek online reviews before downloading apps, as store reviews can be fake. You can also check if Google Play Protect is enabled on your smartphone, as it can scan all your apps for traces of malicious software.
