Google has taken action against 11 apps that were found to contain a malicious subscription Trojan. This Trojan can secretly sign up Android users for expensive monthly services without their consent, resulting in unwanted charges and losses.
The apps, which include photo editors, camera apps, wallpaper apps, and video editors, were discovered by security researchers at Kaspersky. They reported that the apps had been downloaded more than 615,000 times from the Play Store before Google removed them.
The subscription Trojan works by hiding behind legitimate-looking apps and requesting permissions to access notifications and SMS messages. Once granted, it can intercept verification codes sent by subscription services and confirm them without the user’s knowledge.
According to Kaspersky, the Trojan has been active since 2022 and has affected users in various countries, such as Thailand, Poland, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. However, it could also target users in other regions.
Google bans 11 apps from Play Store
Google has identified the following apps as among the most risky:
- Beauty Camera Plus (com.beauty.camera.plus.photoeditor)
- Beauty Photo Camera (com.apps.camera.photos)
- Beauty Slimming Photo Editor (com.beauty.slimming.pro)
- Fingertip Graffiti (com.draw.graffiti)
- GIF Camera Editor (com.gif.camera.editor)
- HD 4K Wallpaper (com.hd.h4ks.wallpaper)
- Impressionism Pro Camera (com.impressionism.prozs.app)
- Microclip Video Editor (com.microclip.vodeoeditor)
- Night Mode Camera Pro (com.urox.opixe.nightcamreapro)
- Photo Camera Editor (com.toolbox.photoeditor)
- Photo Effect Editor (com.picture.pictureframe)
Additionally, users should check their bank and mobile bills for any suspicious charges and report them to their service providers.
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Google has been working hard to improve the security and quality of its Play Store, but malicious apps still manage to slip through its defenses from time to time. Users should always be careful about what they download and what permissions they grant to apps on their devices.
