Three million Android users may have lost money and had their devices infected by spyware, after the discovery that the official Google Play store has been distributing apps infected by a new family of malware. French security researcher Maxime Ingrao described last week on Twitter how he had discovered the new malware, named “Autolycos”, and […]… Read More
The post More malware-infested apps found in the Google Play store appeared first on The State of Security.
Security researchers from Dr. Web have discovered in their latest study that many of the applications hosted in the Google Play Store were loaded with adware and info stealing malicious software.
The most concerning info about these apps is the fact that some applications also have the potential to steal information from other apps such as OTPs received on Gmail or the SMS app on an android phone.
Although Google has been doing a clean-up from time to time, some apps have can creep out of its sight and remain concealed in the network.
One such app that has been discovered and marked as dangerous is a PIP Pic Camera Photo Editor app that has been downloaded over a million times and can steal credentials from Facebook accounts.
Other apps that have turned suspicious include Wild & Exotic Animal Wallpaper, Female Face Filter- an app that beautifies female faces, an app in the name of Sim tool Kit and Magnifier Flashlight that have over 500,000 n 200,000 and 10,000 downloads, respectively.
It was found in the research carried out by Dr. Web that some horoscope apps and those related to dating were stealing sensitive details from Facebook that include images, videos and posts posted on the world’s first social networking website.
The Alphabet Inc’s subsidiary has released a security bulletin early this week claiming to have flagged most of the apps that were being detected to be malicious. However, it is also urging its users to download apps on android platforms only from authenticated resources.
The post Apps on Google Play Store with in-built Adware appeared first on Cybersecurity Insiders.
In May 2021, Google announced it will launch a new data safety section on its play store to benefit customers. And now, the company has released a statement that it will roll out its new section to all its users by July 20th this year.
To those who do not know what the Data Safety Section will include, here’s a summary:
The new data safety section is dedicated to users and will make it mandatory for developers to provide all the app functioning information such as the type of data they collect, what will it share with other parties, and what they will offer in their app regards to data security.
Going deep into the details, the Alphabet Inc’s subsidiary will make it mandatory for developers to stay transparent with their users regarding overall data collection
The app developer will also be required to follow Google Play’s Family Policy to protect children while accessing content from the play store.
After July 2022, all app developers need to follow the Mobile Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS) while developing the security functions in their applications.
Precisely speaking, the section will provide users with an insight into how apps are collecting, sharing, and securing user data. And it will help the web search giant to make Android OS a safe mobile functioning ecosystem.
Currently, the Data Safety Section will only apply to Android 10 and above operating systems and within a few weeks of its release, i.e. by August 2022, it will be rolled out to all smartphones working on Android 8 and above Oses.
Google also plans to impose strict restrictions on apps seeking permission to access sensitive info, such as access to Bluetooth, contacts, camera, microphone, and location, along with the gallery option that is useful to store images and video files.
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