OMG! 8 Million Android Users Tricked Into Download 85 Adware Apps
If you have been using an Android smartphone for a while, then you might know that Android is not one of the most secure mobile operating systems. A few weeks ago, we heard about the ‘Agent Smith’ malware infecting over 25 million Android devices. Not only that, we hear about new hacking attempts targeted towards Android every month. Recently, the security firm Trend Micro discovered 85 adware-ridden Android apps on the Google Play Store. For those who don’t know, Adware apps were meant to show full-screen ads on the smartphone. These apps don’t do much harm to the device, but they run on the background, generating ad revenue, and slowing down the device. The detected adware on those 85 apps is – AndroidOS_Hidenad.HRXH. The reports from Trend Micro claims that the adware ridden Android apps can exploit the device functions to evade detections from the user. The security researchers have further said that these apps would sit dormant for at least 30 minutes after the installation. After that, the apps automatically hide and replace it with a shortcut on the home screen. That means, the app would remain on the device even if the user decides to uninstall it from the home screen (via drag and drop) What’s worst is that the adware ridden apps also recorded the time-stamps on when the user unlocks their device. The report stated “Once conditions are met, advertisements will be displayed on the screen” Security researchers at Trend Micro claim that users running Android 8.0 or above were unaffected with this adware because a newer version of Android takes users permissions before an app tries to create a shortcut. The research team has mentioned all the 85 adware apps on this list. Google removed the apps from the Google Play Store, but it had already affected millions of users. So, if you have also installed any apps from the list, make sure to uninstall it. So, what do you think about this? Share your views in the comment box below.
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