Two popular malware-infected photo apps with over 1.5 million downloads have been officially removed from google play store for security concerns due to malware-related issues. These two apps having requirements for more authorizations than usual, granting them to record audio without users’ consensus and serve full-screen ads without even opening them violating Google’s policies.
Apart from this, both these apps were requesting users for unwanted permissions when they install on their respective Smartphones; and also asking for the audio recording and microphone’s permission from the users once they install the app on their devices. With unsolicited and illegally adware intruded Android devices, these apps could easily get the information and data stored on the device. And they keep on sending push notifications of the ads will eventually be linked to their server to get everything about the device and the data stored in it.
Google has also removed Funny Sweet Beauty Selfie Camera and Sun Pro Beauty Camera which were carrying Adware illegally intruding to the devices; both the apps were carrying around 1 million downloads on Play Store globally. This adware was found by the Researchers at Cybersecurity Company named Wandera.
Invasive out-of-app ads are more of an annoyance than a critical hazard causing battery drain and infect gadgets with malware activity. According to the researchers, the functionality of apps is quite alike to several photographies and gaming apps disclosed by Trend Micro in August, which demonstrated ads that were too hard to close and employed unique methods to evade detection through user behavior and time-based triggers. Similar research last week found four VPN apps to be bombarding devices with deceitful ads running in the background making lives of innocents at the cost of malicious activities.
Although Google Play Protect has been detecting and removing malicious developers with well precision, it seems incapable against the firm pattern of potentially threatful apps evading its vetting process, highlighting the possibility of the problem. Google’s app storefront has been condemned in recent months for its incapability to harness malware-laced apps, which have been installed by millions of users without knowing their insidious nature.
To avoid any misappropriation in downloading apps from the Play Store of Google, the keys to follow for further realization of its malicious activities in the background while installing apps are to scrutinize every permission an app brings before the installation process.
