Google removed 15 Android apps from the Play Store over the weekend after a report from security firm Avast found them to be infected with adware.
According to security researchers, the apps were infected with a type of malwareknown as HiddenAds.
This Android adware, discovered in 2019, displays excessive and annoying ads and opens mobile browsers to ad pages.
Avast malware analyst Jakub Vávra said the adware apps mimicked popular games . The hackers behind these apps tried to attract users with ads via social media .
Upon installing these apps, the HiddenAds adware hides the app iconso that users cannot easily delete them in the future. The apps then start bombarding users with ads.
The researchers found a total of 21 infected apps. However, six of them are still available on the Play Store: Shoot Them, Helicopter Shoot, Find 5 Differences – 2020 NEW, Rotate Shape, Cover art Find the Differences – Puzzle Game and Money Destroyer.
Avast said that at least seven million users had downloaded these apps to their device.
Vávra said it's easy for a user to be tricked into installing one of these apps. However, there are some clues that can help users identify malicious apps.
According to the analyst, users should be very careful when downloading apps to their phones. They should always check the app profile and reviews and be wary when an app asks for a lot of permissions to access information.
Additionally, since many of these adware apps (games) are targeted at children and advertised on social media, Avast urges parents to talk to and educate their children about safe online.
Many times, Google has faced malicious applications that have managed to bypass security measures and get onto the Play Store.
In recent months, Google has removed a huge number of malicious apps that could put users at risk. Many of them had millions of downloads. According to ZDNet, the company has also disabled developer accounts that uploaded such apps to the Play Store.
