Η Google has removed 22 apps included in the Google Play Store, as it was confirmed that these apps were designed to deceive advertisers, and to monetize, pretending that the phone owners had clicked on an ad. The 22 applications that were withdrawn were installed on over 2 million devices by unsuspecting Android device owners.
The malware used malware to pretend to be other applications running on different iOS and Android phones, and to request ads through a third-party control server. In order not to catch the user's attention to the fake applications, the ads were displayed inside a hidden browser window (width 0 pixels x width 0 pixels), where the incorrect interaction of users with them, would generate fake advertising clicks. This was the case even if the phone user did not open any of the malicious applications.
The result of all this was that the owner of the phone saw his device become slow, have high CPU usage of the system, higher data usage than expected, and faster battery drain.
These applications deceived the advertisers in this way, sending false data, that their advertisement appeared on one of the 249 different Android models, from 33 separate brands, running Android 4.4. 2 to 7.x., but also on iPhone 5 & iPhone 8 Plus, forcing the payment as an advertising promotion.
The 22 applications that were given as malicious and you should immediately delete them, are:
- Sparkle FlashLight
- Snake Attack
- Math Solver
- ShapeSorter
- So A Trip
- Magnifey
- Join Up
- Zombie Killer
- Space Rocket
- Neon Pong
- Just Flashlight
- Table Soccer
- Cliff Diver
- Box Stack
- Jelly Slice
- AK Blackjack
- Color Tiles
- Animal Match
- Roulette Mania
- HexaFall
- HexaBlocks
- PairZap
We repeat that if you have installed any of the above applications, uninstall them now!
Interestingly, the iOS versions of Apple for these applications are safe to use. Honestly, we would not have had a chance to understand what would have happened if Google had not made the list itself.
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