Dozens of Android apps have been undermining the privacy of millions of users and covertly foisting ads onto their screens, say researchers.
Internet security firm ESET says it discovered 42 apps on the Google Play store that have been infecting Android phones with adware designed to steal device information and plaster screens with full-size ads.
Those apps were downloaded by users 8 million times since they were introduced in July 2018, reports TechCrunch.
Adware has been covertly stealing users information and plastering full-screen ads on millions of users’ Android devices, say security researchers (stock image)
According to TechCrunch, those apps include Video Downloader Master, which alone has 5 million downloads, and Ring Tone Maker Pro which has 500,000 downloads.
Once installed, the infected apps employ a number of techniques to remain installed for as long as possible on a device, including posing as Google or Facebook apps to avoid being detected.
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The apps also often deleted their own shortcut making it more difficult for users to remove them from their device.
Some of them also monitored devices to see if they were connected to Google’s servers and recognize if the company was running a security check.
Above are some of the apps identified by researchers as containing exploitative software
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