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| Google has removed apps that contain Joker malware |
Cybersecurity researchers found six apps in the store (Google Play), including malware (Joker). In total, more than 200,000 downloads have been downloaded. This is yet another addition to the persistent malware that Android users have been plagued with over the past three years. Example.
The Joker claims to be a legitimate app on the Google Play Store, but once installed it does the billing scam.
This can be done by sending SMS messages to premium numbers, or you can use the victim's account to make frequent purchases through WAP bills, which benefit the clown operator.
The activity takes place behind the scenes and requires no user input. This means that he will not generally be tricked until he receives a phone bill that includes an additional fee.
As of 2017, Google removed more than 1,700 applications containing malware (Joker) from the Google Play Store, but malware still appears.
Researchers at cybersecurity firm Pradeo have discovered six new malicious applications. Among the apps that host malware (wildcard), an app called Convenient Scanner 2 has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
Although 50,000 users have downloaded (separate document scanner), another app called (Security AppLock) claims to protect your privacy and has been installed 10,000 times.
Two other apps (Push Message-Texting & SMS and Emoji Wallpaper) have also been downloaded 10,000 times, and one app, Fingertip GameBox, has been downloaded nearly 1,000 times.
After Google (Pradeo) released these apps, it removed them from its store. In a previous article by the Google Security and Privacy Team, it was found that malware (Joker) is one of the most persistent threats to the Google Play Store.
The post also indicated that the large number of attempts sent to the store (Google Play) is one of the reasons for the continued success of the program, as it sends up to 23 different applications daily during peak hours. .
In many cases, malicious apps can bypass Google Play Store defenses by sending out clean apps and adding malicious features later.