Malware identified in Android Apps with nearly 10M downloads

The Hacker News reports that nearly 30 apps in the Google Play Store downloaded almost 10 million times have been laced with adware. Such adware apps include image-editing software, system tools and utilities, virtual keyboards, wallpaper collection apps, and calling apps, which primarily request permissions to display intrusive advertisements, a Dr.Web report found. While some of the identified apps including Yoga- For Beginner to Advanced and Water Reminder- Tracker & Reminder have the advertised functionality, some launcher, emoji stickers, and camera apps were discovered to have Joker malware distribution capabilities. Some image editing software apps have been found to compromise users' Facebook accounts. "Upon launching, they asked potential victims to log in to their accounts and then loaded a genuine Facebook authorization page. Next, they hijacked the authentication data and sent it to malicious actors," said Dr.Web. Users have been urged to be more wary of the apps they are downloading from app stores.