Security alarm for Android users: more than 500,000 users would have downloaded apps with viruses and malware from the Google Play Store.
Google Play in the crosshairs after a security breach that put Android users at risk of viruses and malware through 13 applications in the platform, now removed.
The virtual store of Google, through which you can download the app on Android to run on their smartphones, has jeopardized the devices of more than 500 thousand users who have downloaded some applications escaped the vigilance of the company of Mountain View.
An error, by the users of the green robot, absolutely in good faith: we often trust blindly the app available on the Play Store, being the same subjected to a skimming to ensure the safety of those who download.
Now, the alarm comes from the aforementioned applications that would have hidden within them an insidious malware that put Google at the center of a small scandal.
App with viruses on the Play Store
The 13 applications in question were identified by Lukas Stefanko, employee of ESET (a well-known manufacturer of antivirus software) who announced the threat through their Twitter account.
In the tweet Stefanko reported shared a screen of dangerous applications, warning users of the threat and asking them to avoid installation: the apps in question were presented as games, driving simulators, really complete (with a catchy icon and complete description).
Once installed and downloaded the app, however, these crashed by inserting another malware application that put at risk the life of the smartphone on which it was present.
This is a known modus operandi of potentially dangerous apps for smartphones: in practice, like a real Trojan horse, malicious software is hidden through a special mask (represented by the icon and description, or false reviews, very often belonging to the world of mobile gaming) and, once penetrated into the smartphone system on duty, install malicious APKs.
All 13 apps were removed belonging to the same company, a fictional video game software that, in reality, hid a team of hackers and cyber criminals.
The screen of the 13 dangerous apps available on the Play Store
Android app with viruses: how to defend yourself
It is not the first time that Google is facing a threat like this: Judy is a nightmare that has tormented about 36 million Android users only last year, who found the unpleasant guest in their smartphone after downloading one of the 41 applications that hid it available on the Play Store.
To defend yourself, it is a good idea to always read the various user reviews related to an application: if in the midst of many positive comments are hidden some negative, perhaps appropriately detailed, an alarm bell is undoubtedly plausible.
Be careful even after starting the download, the absence of requests regarding permissions and changes to the settings is never a good sign (the app could remove or directly access your specifications without going from your will once installed).
Always avoid downloading apps that you are not 100% sure, better to spend time asking for opinions or inquiring about Google (avoiding jeopardizing your privacy or your mobile phone).