21 million Android devices infected by Malware discovered in wallpaper apps through Google Play
called ExpensiveWall, a new malware
discovered in wallpaper apps, which is said to be responsible for the infection
of 21.1 million Android devices.
month and issued a statement that contains all their findings related to
ExpensiveWall.
Play, which were downloaded between 1 million and 4.2 million times before they
were removed.
apps, which allowed it to escape Google Play’s built-in anti-malware
protections. The “packed” method is frequently used by malware developers to
encrypt malicious code.
7, those who installed them before they were removed are still at risk, so they
should manually remove them from their Android devices.
HOW IT WORK
will ask the user for several common permissions, such as SMS and internet
access. If granted, the malware will start sending premium SMS messages and
register users for other paid services that don’t exist without the user’s
knowledge.
types of apps, there’s absolutely no reason for a wallpaper app to request SMS
permission or even internet access for that matter. Unfortunately, many Android
users grant these permissions without thinking, which is probably one of the
reasons it propagated so fast in the first place.
INFECTED
don’t pay attention to what permissions an app requests before being installed.
ExpensiveWall is a very tricky malware that’s hardly detectable by standard
(read free) security solutions available in the Google Play Store.
to pass Google Play Store’s security protections more often than ever before.
The bottom line is you can never be certain if your Android device is infected
or not, so the best way to stay safe is to install high-profile apps and avoid
the questionable ones.