Although the Google Play Store is safe, the truth is that sometimes viruses are camouflaged by posing as legitimate applications and this means that many people are harmed by malware or dangers on their mobile phones.
It has recently been discovered that a new set of Android malware, phishing and adware applications has infiltrated the Google app store affecting more than 2 million people who have installed them.
The apps were discovered by Dr. Web antivirus and pose as useful utilities and system optimizers when in fact they do the complete opposite. They are one of the main performance problems and experience degradation for users, who also receive a large number of ads on their phone, slowing it down.
If you install any of these apps, you will notice how your phone is much slower and does not work as it should, although until now you may not have been aware of the cause of this.
Tubebox ‘breaks’ your phone and doesn’t keep its promises
One of the apps discovered by Dr. Web that has accumulated a million downloads. This is TubeBox, which right now remains available on Google Play, although it may soon be removed. If you have installed it, delete it immediately from your mobile, and if you have not done so, do not install it.
TubeBox is an app that promises you money in exchange for watching videos and ads in the app, although it actually seems to never deliver on its promises. There are errors when trying to redeem earned rewards. Users who manage to complete the final withdrawal step never receive the funds.
In reality, it is a trick to keep them in the app as much of the time as possible, generating income for its developers. However, the only thing that those who install it notice is that their phones are not running as smoothly and their performance suffers.
These apps fill your mobile with ads
Other adware apps that have appeared on Google Play in October this year are as follows. Although they have been removed from the Google app store, you could have installed one:
- Bluetooth device auto connect (bt autoconnect group) – 1,000,000 downloads
- Bluetooth & Wi-Fi & USB driver (simple things for everyone) – 100,000 downloads
- Volume, Music Equalizer (bt autoconnect group) – 50,000 downloads
- Fast Cleaner & Cooling Master (Hippo VPN LLC) – 500 downloads
The apps receive commands from Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) and load the websites specified in these commands, generating fraudulent ad impressions on infected devices .
In the case of Fast Cleaner & Cooling Master, with few downloads until its removal, remote operators could also configure an infected device to act as a proxy server. This proxy server would allow threat actors to funnel their own traffic through the infected device.
Detected fraudulent loan apps
Dr. Web also uncovered a set of fraudulent lending apps claiming to be directly linked to Russian banks and investment groups, each averaging 10,000 downloads on Google Play. They were also known as directories and survey programs.
They promoted themselves through malvertising through other apps, promising guaranteed investment returns when what they did was lead their victims to phishing sites where their personal information is collected.
To prevent these or other apps from harming you, be careful with what you install, avoid installations outside of Google Play on your mobile and have a good antivirus to protect yourself from external threats. If you have one, uninstall it immediately.