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Android smartphone owners are being asked to remove five dangerous apps that can steal your data, raid your bank accounts, or take control of your system. all On my cell phone behind my back.
Google has launched a dangerous app from the Play Store that only prevents people who have not previously installed the software from downloading it to their phones. It won’t help if these annoying apps are already installed on your phone.
Security researchers say many of the malware-laced apps are in the top three spots on the Google Play Store’s Top New Free chart, making them appear trustworthy and are being used in the UK and mainland Europe. It warned that it was causing hundreds of thousands of downloads.
Disguised as innocuous names like Phone Cleaner or PDF Viewer, these dangerous Android apps hide a banking Trojan called ‘Anatsa’. It is built to target users in the UK, Germany, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.
Phone Cleaner – File Explorer is one of the Android apps that security researchers have found sneaking banking Trojans into the Play Store.Ranked 3rd on the Top New Free Chart
Fabric of Menace | GOOGLE PLAY Store
Security researchers at Threat Fabric have been tracking this type of banking malware since June 2023. Unsuspecting Android users downloaded the stealing malware 150,000 to 200,000 times before Google removed the offending app from its digital storefront.
Downloading any of these apps could allow hackers to remotely control your phone and perform tasks behind your back. Anatsa allows you to siphon personal information from your device and make payments from popular banking apps.
Researchers at Threat Fabric have warned Samsung smartphone owners to be extra vigilant against threats. The malicious code found in these Android apps iscon manTailored for user internshipdistinctive facial elements Samsung hardware.
“This suggests that the attackers were initially developing and testing code specifically for Samsung devices,” the experts noted. detailed report About the resurrection of Anatsa.
Here are the apps you need to manually remove from your phone…
- Phone Cleaner – File Explorer
- PDF Viewer – File Explorer
- PDF reader – viewer and editor
- Phone Cleaner: File Explorer
- PDF reader: file manager
A Google spokesperson said: identified The contents of the report have been removed from Google Play. Android users are automatically protected from known versions of this malware by Google Play Protect. Google Play Protect is enabled by default on Android devices with Google Play Services.
“Google Play Protect can warn users or block apps that are known to exhibit malicious behavior, even if those apps come from sources outside of Play.”
Deleting the app will remove the threat from your phone. If you receive a warning from Google’s Play Protect service, always check the cause of the warning and take action.
Worryingly, the team at Threat Fabric doesn’t expect malicious apps trying to sneak Anatsa onto Android phones to disappear.in blog postthe researchers warned: predict This campaign continues with new droppers appearing on the official store, addition Target area. ”
Experts believe banks should do more to warn customers about the dangers of downloading untrusted apps. “Financial institutions urgently need to educate their customers about the risks of installing applications, even from official stores, and should be careful not to enable their Accessibility Service for any other applications. ”t Don‘t need it for themr Expected operationns.
“If a customer reports unusual device behavior or unrecognized transactions, we advise agencies to inquire about recent activity, such as newly installed applications and granted permissions, especially with respect to AccessibilityService.”
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