36 Fake Security Apps on Google Play to Stay Away From
Security researchers have discovered 36 malicious Android apps disguised as security tools on the Google Play store.
 |
| Security Defender, Guardian Antivirus, Smart Security, Security Keeper, Deep Cleaner, and Advanced Boost are the most dangerous apps out of the 36 detected malicious apps. Photo: Life Wire |
According to Trend Micro, most of these apps are “advertised” to provide users with a variety of security features including junk removal, battery saving, scanning, CPU cooling, app locking, Wi-Fi security, mail security, and more. However, they actually collect data, track user locations, and bombard users with spam ads.
Security Defender, Guardian Antivirus, Smart Security, Security Keeper, Deep Cleaner, and Advanced Boost are the most dangerous of the 36 malicious apps detected. "They have a 'hidden' function, not appearing in the launcher's app list on devices such as the Google Nexus 6P, LGE LG-H525n, Xiaomi MI 4LTE, and ZTE N958St to avoid detection. On other devices, they will pop up a pop-up window on the phone's screen," Trend Micro said.
These apps can collect a lot of user and device information and send it to a remote server, including Android ID, Mac ID, IMSI, details about the operating system, device model, language, location, data on other installed apps like Facebook and Google Play, and even specific information like screen size.
“When installing a new app, you will receive a notification about the size and check before activation. However, when downloading these malicious apps, no data is displayed. This tactic is to avoid being checked by Google Play and avoid user suspicion,” the researchers added.
In addition to malware warnings, users are also bombarded with spam ads that keep popping up on their screens. These scam ads keep popping up whether the user locks or unlocks the device or asks to connect to a charger.
Once the user clicks the suggested “Resolve” button, they are tricked again. They are then asked to agree to an end-user license agreement (EULA) to remove the ad. However, the researchers say that if the user accidentally clicks, “the collection and transmission of personal data is no longer relevant to the app’s functionality.”
Trend Micro has now notified Google about these fake apps.
