McAfee’s security researchers have identified 16 malicious smartphone apps that they think you should delete immediately from your Android mobile device because of their malicious capabilities. The researchers said these 16 apps are riskier to smartphone users in Australia, but that doesn’t mean that users in other countries shouldn’t delete them too.
McAfee said Google has been warned of these dangerous apps and that they have been removed from Google Play Store. But millions of people who had already downloaded them into their Android devices must still remove them from their smartphones to further protect themselves.
“In total 16 applications that were previously on Google Play have been confirmed to have the malicious payload with an assumed 20 million installations,” McAfee said. “McAfee security researchers notified Google and all of the identified apps are no longer available on Google Play.”
The researchers said the apps contain malicious code that reduces battery life and slows down hardware performance. Once users notice that their Android phone battery is draining fast and data consumption is high, then it is definitely any of the 16 culpable apps running underground to maximize ad revenue for its owners – since they click on ads underground without the knowledge of the users.
Here’s a list of the guilty apps:
- BusanBus (com.kmshack. BusanBus)
- Currency Converter (com.smartwho. SmartCurrencyConverter)
- EzDica (com.joysoft.ezdica)
- EzNotes (com.meek.tingboard)
- Flashlight+ (com.candlencom.candleprotest)
- Flashlight+ (com.dev.imagevault)
- Flashlight+ (kr.caramel.flash_plus)
- High-Speed Camera (com.hantor. CozyCamera)
- Instagram Profile Downloader (com.schedulezero.instapp)
- Joycode (com.joysoft.barcode)
- K-Dictionary (com.joysoft.wordBook)
- Quick Note (com.movinapp.quicknote)
- Smart Task Manager (com.james. SmartTaskManager).
Meanwhile, smartphone users in Italy and elsewhere have also been warned to delete the following five apps from their devices immediately because of their capability to undermine their bank accounts:
- Recover Audio, Images & Videos – 100,000 downloads
- Codice Fiscale 2022 – 10,000 downloads
- Zetter Authentication – 10,000 downloads
- File Manager Small, Lite – 1,000 downloads
- My Finances Tracker – 1,000 downloads
Although these apps are no longer available on Play Store, users may still have them running on their devices where they seek to steal financial information. The apps contain Trojan malware that steals users’ login info and bank account number for financial fraud – without the knowledge of phone users. Once downloaded, they prompt the users to update to newer versions which then activate the malware for nefarious purposes.
