NB! These disguised apps contain adware and malware
Cybersecurity firm Bitdefender detected more than 60,000 malicious Android apps in the past month. The apps were disguised as other “real” apps like Netflix or as security software, VPN software and utilities. What exactly is going on?
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60,000 apps contain adware
Bitdefender has detected as many as 60,000 Android apps that contain adware. The apps have been detected through their anomaly detection feature. This is, quite simply, a method that can detect anomalies in data, among other things. This can be used to detect oddities in system traffic and identify possible fraud or malware.
Adware is also a form of malware, malicious software, that secretly installs itself on your computer, tablet or smartphone, for example. Among other things, it can display unwanted advertisements, display pop-ups and track your online behavior.
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What kind of apps?
It mainly concerns apps that do not come from the Google Play Store, but can be installed on third-party websites. The websites show up on Google Search and push APKs that let you download Android apps. The websites are specially designed to distribute the adware apps. These are apps disguised as “real” apps that are distributed as VPN software, utilities, and security software, among other things. There are also known examples of malicious apps pretending to be Netflix.
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If you have fallen for it as a user, the app will be installed on your smartphone. If you then unsuspectingly want to open the app, it will indicate that it does not work in your region and you will be given the option to uninstall it. However, the app will not be deleted, but will continue to run in the background. In the background, the app then installs adware on your smartphone. To do this, the app retrieves ad URLs. This makes money for the makers. As far as we know, this is the only thing the apps do, but in theory they can also try to steal data from you later.
Prevention is better than cure
First of all, prevention is better than cure. We recommend that you do not download apps from third party sites. The Google Play Store is always safer. Always install the latest security updates and ensure that apps from the Play Store are updated automatically.
In this article you can also read more about an app that can detect malware on your phone. If you notice that there is malware on your device, we recommend that you reset your device to factory settings. This ensures that the malware is really removed.
