These 17 malicious Android apps sneak banking Trojans onto your phone - Komando

2 years ago 114

In July alone, we reported over 100 malicious apps being removed from the Google Play Store.

Malware comes in many forms, and some allow hackers to take control of your phone, while others steal personal information or sign you up for subscription services that are difficult to get out of. Tap or click for 36 malicious apps to delete from your phone now.

We’re now in August, but it doesn’t seem like things will get any better. We have a fresh list of 17 apps that contain banking Trojans. We’ll show you how these dangerous apps operate and how to avoid them.

Here’s the backstory

Even with all its money and resources, Google can’t keep up with the sheer volume of malicious apps uploaded to its official Play Store. Fortunately, cybersecurity experts are always there to give Big Tech a helping hand.

Trend Micro discovered 17 malicious apps that offer services such as call recording, VPNs, software cleanup, scanners, photo editing and more. They’re really ushering in programs designed to steal sensitive information such as login credentials, account numbers and financial information.

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Check your phone for these malicious apps

Though the apps have been removed from the Google Play Store, that doesn’t mean they’ve been removed from your devices. Check your phone against the following list. If you find any matching apps, delete them immediately:

Call Recorder APK — com.caduta.aisevsk
Rooster VPN — com.vpntool.androidweb
Super Cleaner- hyper & smart — com.j2ca.callrecorder
Document Scanner – PDF Creator — com.codeword.docscann
Universal Saver Pro — com.virtualapps.universalsaver
Eagle photo editor — com.techmediapro.photoediting
Call recorder pro+ — com.chestudio.callrecorder
Extra Cleaner — com.casualplay.leadbro
Crypto Utils — com.utilsmycrypto.mainer
FixCleaner — com.cleaner.fixgate
Universal Saver Pro — com.qaz.universalsaver
Lucky Cleaner — com.luckyg.cleaner
Just In: Video Motion — com.olivia.openpuremind
Document Scanner Pro — com.myunique.sequencestore
Conquer Darkness — com.flowmysequto.yamer
Simpli Cleaner — com.scando.qukscanner
Unicc QR Scanner — com.qrdscannerratedx

Here’s how to delete any app from your Android phone:

Open the Google Play Store app.
At the top right, tap the Profile icon.
Tap Manage apps & devices > Manage.
Tap the name of the app you want to delete.
Tap Uninstall.

Jaw-droppingly dangerous apps

To escape detection, a Trojan disguises itself as a legitimate program. This has proven useful enough that the Google Play Store is flooded with them. Trojans can be delivered by apps known as droppers.

Trend Micro identified a new dropper variant it calls DawDropper, which evades security checks to deliver the following malware to devices:

Octo (Coper) is a banking Trojan capable of sending and receiving texts, stealing banking information and allowing attackers to take control of your device remotely.
Hydra is a type of Trojan that asks you to enable permissions that will enable it to overwrite a legitimate banking app login page with a malicious one.
Ermac sends stolen financial login credentials to threat actors, who can use the information to steal money or commit fraud.
TeaBot uses apps to redirect users into clicking a link, infecting their devices.

Keep your devices (and finances) safe with these steps

The job’s not over just because you’ve deleted the offending apps. You must exercise vigilance and caution at all times. Here’s how:

Turn on Google Play Protect by heading to Google Play Store > Profile > Play Protect > Settings and turn on Scan apps with Play Protect.
Check your phone for security updates by going to Settings > System > System update.
Open a web browser on your phone and do a Google Security Checkup at myaccount.google.com/security-checkup. Follow the steps to give your device more robust security settings.
Only download apps from official app stores. Always go to the official source and double-check that you are installing the correct app.
Watch out for apps that use a similar logo to other popular apps or have similar functions. Also, check reviews to see if others are warning about suspicious activity.
Pay attention to permissions. Stay away if an app wants full access to your text messages or notifications.
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