Unfortunately, we can often come across applications containing malware on Google’s Android platform and Play Store application store. And now new ones have been added to them. The newly discovered apps have a total of more than two million downloads, meaning many devices are in danger.
But what are the newly discovered applications?
Fast Cleaner & Cooling Master
Cybersecurity Doctor Web has announced that it has discovered a trojan called “Fast Cleaner & Cooling Master” in the Play Store. This app promises itself to improve performance on your Android device. Instead, it secretly communicates with developers via Firebase Cloud Messaging or the Appmetrica Push SDK, displaying ads on victims’ smartphones or using these devices as proxy servers.
This app has less than 1,000 downloads, which will not cause a major malware outbreak. However, Doctor Web says it has also discovered other trojans that are used to load certain websites and communicate with its developers via Firebase Cloud Messaging.
Volume, Music Equalizer, Bluetooth & Wi-Fi & USB, Bluetooth device auto connect
There are three apps in this group: “Volume, Music Equalizer” with 50,000 downloads, “Bluetooth & Wi-Fi & USB” with 100,000 downloads, and “Bluetooth device auto connect” with one million downloads. Bluetooth device auto connect claims to be a solution to improve your Bluetooth connection and says it creates an automatic connection to ensure you don’t have to use Android’s Bluetooth settings menu every time to connect to your Bluetooth devices.
“Bluetooth device auto connect” isn’t the only trojan with so many downloads. “Tubebox” also had over one million downloads alone, as it had previously attracted people as an easy way to make money. Users only needed to watch videos with ads in the app, which would theoretically generate coins and coupons that they could then redeem for real money. The problem was that no one was able to use their credits due to the problems the app reported.
As you can imagine, the app was never intended to pay users money. Instead, the developers pocketed all ad revenue from users’ viewing history. While we don’t have statistics on these numbers, the fact that the app has been downloaded over a million times means that the scammers are probably making a good amount of advertising money.
Unfortunately, Google’s store doesn’t have any warnings to suggest that an app you’re looking at is potentially malware. Once Google approves an app, they look like the others in the store until they learn something about the app. However, there are steps you can take to keep yourself and your device safe.
What should we do?
First off, always thoroughly review an app’s Play Store page before downloading it. Does the app name make sense? For example, “Bluetooth & Wi-Fi & USB” is a terrible name for an app. Next, check the screenshots and app description. Does everything seem to be carefully designed and put together? Does the description of the app match the intended use? Are there any typos or bad sentences? Each of these can be major danger signs.
Reviews can also be a big help. Usually, users who download malware complain about the effects of the app on their phones. You may see negative comments about the number of ads users encounter, how much it slows their phone down, or the app does nothing for which it was intended. If you see enough of these warnings, you should stay away from the application.
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