Google has banned four more Android phone and tablet scam apps – urging millions of people to delete them now | Tech Reddy

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Google has banned four more mobile apps after discovering they contained dangerous malware and is urging anyone who downloads them to remove them immediately.

Security experts at Malwarebytes first discovered the insecure platforms listed for download on the Google Play Store.

The applications are believed to be loaded with malware and redirect unsuspecting users to phishing sites used by scammers.

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As The Mirror reports, once there, people’s personal information can be stolen and used for malicious purposes. Each of the apps has since been removed from the online list, but prior to their removal, those who had access to them are urged to remove them from their devices as a matter of priority.

Each of the naughty apps is produced by a mobile developer called “Mobile Apps Group”,This was reported by the “Express” publication. At the time of writing, the company’s website was completely unavailable.

The top-rated app from the mobile app group came in the form of Bluetooth Auto Connect, which was released in October 2020 and has garnered over one million downloads. Other affected apps are called Bluetooth App Sender, Mobile Transfer: smart switch and Driver: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB.

One of the ways developers bypassed Google’s strict vetting program was to delay the spread of malicious behavior. For the first few days after installation, each application boasted smooth sailing as usual – unpleasant behavior would appear later.

At this point, spam and phishing websites start appearing on victims’ devices.

While at first glance the sites may seem like nothing to worry about, over time the pages have become much more insidious. According to Malwarebytes, the malicious app started opening phishing sites in Chrome, with different content.

Some came in the form of pay-per-click content, while others were insecure sites used to trick unsuspecting users with personal information and data. One such site contains adult content that then leads to a phishing page informing the user that they have a virus or need to update their device.

Malwarebytes said: “Chrome tabs open in the background even when the mobile device is locked. When the user unlocks the device, Chrome opens with the most recent site. A new tab is frequently opened with a new site, resulting in several hours of unlocking your phone closing multiple tabs.” stands for.

“A user’s browser history will also have a long list of bad phishing sites.”

Although the apps are no longer visible in the Google Play Store, owners should remove them to keep their Android devices safe.

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