These 16 Malicious Android Apps Are No Longer Available On Google Play Store

Malware Apps have become quite common these days. We get to know about such harmful apps involved in fraud on regular basis nowadays. The Malware Clicker apps are one of them. Once they are installed and launched, they unleash their fraudulent functionality. What they do is that they enable the malware to covertly visit bogus websites and simulate ad clicks without the victims’ knowledge. Recently, 16 malicious Android apps with over 20 million cumulative downloads have been taken down from the Google Play Store after they were found committing mobile ad fraud.

Here Is The List Of Malicious Android Apps Taken Down From Playstore

Cybersecurity firm McAfee stated:

The Clicker malware masqueraded as seemingly harmless utilities like cameras, currency/unit converters, QR code readers, note-taking apps, and dictionaries, among others, in a bid to trick users into downloading them.

The list of Malicious apps is as follows:

  • High-Speed Camera (com.hantor.CozyCamera) – 10,000,000+ downloads
  • Smart Task Manager (com.james.SmartTaskManager) – 5,000,000+ downloads
  • Flashlight+ (kr.caramel.flash_plus) – 1,000,000+ downloads
  • 달력메모장 (com.smh.memocalendar) – 1,000,000+ downloads
  • K-Dictionary (com.joysoft.wordBook) – 1,000,000+ downloads
  • BusanBus (com.kmshack.BusanBus) – 1,000,000+ downloads
  • Flashlight+ (com.candlencom.candleprotest) – 500,000+ downloads
  • Quick Note (com.movinapp.quicknote) – 500,000+ downloads
  • Currency Converter (com.smartwho.SmartCurrencyConverter) – 500,000+ downloads
  • Joycode (com.joysoft.barcode) – 100,000+ downloads
  • EzDica (com.joysoft.ezdica) – 100,000+ downloads
  • Instagram Profile Downloader (com.schedulezero.instapp) – 100,000+ downloads
  • Ez Notes (com.meek.tingboard) – 100,000+ downloads
  • 손전등 (com.candlencom.flashlite) – 1,000+ downloads
  • 계산기 (com.doubleline.calcul) – 100+ downloads
  • Flashlight+ (com.dev.imagevault) – 100+ downloads

McAfee researcher SangRyol Ryu further stated that:

“This may cause heavy network traffic and consume power without user awareness during the time it generates profit for the threat actor behind this malware”

The findings regarding these fraudulent apps arrived two months after McAfee discovered a dozen Android adware apps distributed on the Google Play Store. They harbored a malware strain called HiddenAds that was found to execute automatically without any user interaction. Then they came to know that the Clicker malware targets illicit advertising revenue and can disrupt the mobile advertising ecosystem.  Furthermore, their malicious behavior is cleverly hidden from detection. So, everyone just needs to be careful while downloading anything from anywhere. If you have faced any such frauds after downloading any App from playstore, do share with us in the comment section.

Also Check: Intel Is Back With A New Generation Of Super Powerful Processors (phoneworld.com.pk)

PTA Taxes Portal

Find PTA Taxes on All Phones on a Single Page using the PhoneWorld PTA Taxes Portal

Explore NowFollow us on Google News!

Laiba Mohsin

Laiba is an Electrical Engineer seeking a placement to gain hands-on experience in relevant areas of telecommunications. She likes to write about tech and gadgets. She loves shopping, traveling and exploring things.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
>