NEW DELHI: Twenty-nine malicious apps have been discovered on Google Play Store with a collective download count of more than 10 million, said a new report by Quick Heal Security Labs on Thursday. The apps were removed by Google soon after.
One of the malicious apps from this set named ‘multiapp multiple accounts simultaneously’ has crossed 5 million installs and out of the 29 apps, 24 are from ‘HiddAd’ category that hides the icon after the first launch and creates a shortcut on the home screen of the phone.
According to Quick Heal Security Labs, the purpose of the apps is to not let users uninstall it by just dragging the icon.
“The remaining 5 apps are of ‘Adware’ category and would generally get into your Android phones through advertisements. Users see many advertisements every time they visit social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, etc, which promote different mobile applications.
(Agencies)
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