Big Google warning over 12 popular Android apps caught stealing bank details
A WARNING about criminal Google Play apps that can hack your bank account has been issued by online experts.
That urgent message warns of scary Android apps that have been downloaded over 300,000 times.
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These apps are known as banking trojans – designed to log your keystrokes when accessing your accounts.
Hackers will create these apps to look like PDF or QR code scanners, exercise guides, or cryptocurrency wallets.
But instead, they would read your bank passwords, login codes and even take silent screenshots.
Cyber experts at ThreatFabric revealed the sinister hack attack, describing it as highly sophisticated.
“Policing by Google has forced actors to find ways to significantly reduce the footprint of dropper apps,” ThreatFabric explained.
“By introducing carefully planned small malicious code updates over an extended period of time into Google Play.”
The apps used four different “families” of malware to hijack user logins.
And they used clever methods to bypass Google’s usual checks to prevent malware from making its way to Android’s official App Store.
This allowed the hackers to quickly scale up their campaign.
“In just four months, four major Android families were spread via Google Play, resulting in 300,000+ infections via multiple dropper apps,” ThreatFabric said.
The apps would appear harmless at first, but then deliver updates to introduce dangerous malware over time.
Cyber experts also warn that the malware was so sophisticated that even virus detectors struggled to detect its nefarious actions.
List of dangerous Android apps
Here is the list of apps exposed by ThreatFabric…
- Two Factor Authentication – com.flowdivision
- Protection Guard – com.protectionguard.app
- QR CreatorScanner – com.ready.qrscanner.mix
- Master Scanner Live – com.multifunction.combine.qr
- QR Scanner 2021 – com.qr.code.generate
- QR Scanner – com.qr.barqr.scangen
- PDF Document Scanner – Scan to PDF – com.xaviermuches.docscannerpro2
- PDF Document Scanner – com.docscanverifier.mobile
- PDF Document Scanner Free – com.doscanner.mobile
- CryptoTracker – cryptolistapp.app.com.cryptotracker
- Fitness & Exercise Trainer – com.gym.trainer.jeux
- Gym and Fitness Trainer – com.gym.trainer.jeux (reupload)
If any of these apps are installed on your Android phone, it is worth deleting them immediately.
You should also consider changing your bank passwords and checking your accounts for strange behavior.
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