Google is cracking down on malicious applications that have made their way o the Play Store. According to ArsTechnica, Google has axed 9 Android apps from the Play Store for violating its rules.
The apps have a combined download number of over 5.8 million and they tend to offer services such as file removal, photo editing, providing horoscopes and many more. This was not their main intention as in the background they would steal the Facebook passwords of the user who has installed them.
These apps worked as you would expect them to and require users to log into their Facebook accounts for them to work. This was how the trojan malware would proceed to steal the Facebook passwords of the victims.
By requiring users to log in to their Facebook accounts, it was easier to steal the credentials. According to the report, “the attackers could have easily changed the trojans’ settings and commanded them to load the web page of another legitimate service. They could have even used a completely fake login form located on a phishing site. Thus, the trojans could have been used to steal logins and passwords from any service.”
Below are the nine apps that you should uninstall immediately if you have them installed in your phone. If you have never heard of them, then you are safe for now and be on the lookout for similar ones in the future.
- Processing Photo
- App Lock Keep
- Rubbish Cleaner
- Hororscope Daily
- Horoscope Pi
- App Lock Manager
- Lockit Master
- Inwell Fitness
- PiP Photo