Although it's not as strict - in terms of security - as the iOS App Store, the Google Play Store has a strong policy regarding the entry of malicious apps into the platform... Or so it claims.
In a recent update, Google shared another batch of Android apps that contain malware. These are 13 apps that were discovered by a developer and have already been reviewed by the Google team, as well.
The apps were immediately removed from the Play Store. Unfortunately, some of them had over 50,000 downloads.
The truth is that this is not the first time that malicious apps have been detected on the Google Play Store. In this case, the 13 apps belong to various categories, such as Racing and Simulation. Once installed, the icons of these apps are hidden, causing confusion to the user. It should also be noted that the apps seek many permissions from the device, allowing it to perform sensitive tasks.
According to the researcher who discovered the malicious apps, none of them have any particular functionality. He also found that they download APKs from other sources and force their installation. Despite the legal cover they present at first, these apps are not legitimate at all and most importantly, they have been created by the same developer, named Luiz Pinto.
