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If you need to double-check that you should be careful when downloading new apps for your Android phone, a new report reveals some misleading apps and some phishing apps you should be wary of. It became clear.
Google imposes strict security restrictions, play storebad apps can sometimes slip through the cracks, so you should think twice before installing any app on your device.
according to report (opens in new tab) from antivirus manufacturers doctor webthe rewards apps with millions of downloads aren’t actually paid out, but the 10 investing apps and mobile games with over 450,000 downloads are actually phishing apps in disguise.
dubious reward app
As reported by beep computer (opens in new tab), Dr. Web found some shady pedometer apps that offer users financial rewards for staying active and meeting their daily distance goals. Three of these pedometer apps, listed below, have been downloaded a total of 20 million times.
- Lucky Step – Walking Tracker – 10 million downloads
- walking joy – 5 million downloads
- Lucky Habits: Health Tracker – 5 million downloads
Based on the report’s findings, all three apps communicate with the same remote server address, so they likely have the same owner/developer. And all of these are still available for download from the Play Store at the time of writing.
These pedometer apps offer monetary rewards to their users, but the apps themselves do not allow withdrawals to be made until a certain reward amount is reached. App users have to watch dozens of ads before unlocking rewards.At the same time, watching additional ads is offered as a way to speed up the withdrawal process.
While these apps are not as dangerous as the phishing apps detailed below, they are a form of adware that violates Google’s policies and misleads users into thinking they can use these apps on their Android phones to earn rewards. adware app Like these, it can also slow down your phone and drain your battery quickly.
disguised phishing app
In addition to these questionable pedometer apps, Dr. Web also found many investment apps and games that are actually malicious as they steal data from users through phishing.
Together, these 10 apps have been downloaded over 450,000 times, and if you have any of them installed on your phone, you should remove them immediately. Here is the full list of malicious apps discovered by Dr. Web:
- golden hunt – 100,000 downloads
- reflector – 100,000 downloads
- seven golden wolf blackjack – 100,000 downloads
- unlimited score – 50,000 downloads
- big decision – 50,000 downloads
- Jewel Sea – 10,000 downloads
- lux fruit game – 10,000 downloads
- lucky clover – 10,000 downloads
- king blitz – 5,000 downloads
- lucky hammer – 1,000 downloads
Fortunately, most of these apps have already been removed from the Play Store, with the exception of Seven Golden Wolf Blackjack, which is still available for download at the time of writing.
After these apps are installed on a potential victim’s smartphone, they connect to a remote server to receive instructions on how to collect data.This is done by loading Phishing site Anything that asks users to enter sensitive information about themselves.
How to stay safe from malicious apps
Most of the apps in question have been removed from the Play Store, but if you have these bad apps on your smartphone or tablet, you should manually remove them.
before installing a new app best android phone, you should first check its rating and read the reviews available on the Play Store. however, App reviews can be fakedexternal reviews, or even video reviews showing the app in question in action.
on the other hand, Best Android Antivirus App You can protect your users from bad apps that spread malware, but detecting misleading apps or those leading to phishing pages is a little more difficult. Because of this, you should be careful when downloading and installing new apps. Similarly, you should also make sure that: Google Play Protect This built-in app is enabled on Android devices to scan all existing apps and new downloaded apps for malware.
However, if the app seems too good most of the time, it probably is. Offering rewards is just one of the ways scammers try to lure potential victims into malicious apps. By limiting the number of apps you install on your device and removing apps you no longer use, you can protect your smartphone and the sensitive data it contains.
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