Google Play pertains to an online store where users can find several apps, games, films, TV shows, books, and so much more. It has a collection of millions of apps and games provided to billions of people around the world.
According to statistics published on the website of Gitnux, a software and digital service review platform, Google Play has over 2.5 billion active users, making it a significant player in the mobile app market. With this number of Google Play users, it just becomes alarming when security threats in the app take their toll on the safety of the users.
Threatening users’ data
Late in May, Dr.Web, a Russian IT security solutions vendor, found out that there are over a hundred apps on Google Play Store containing a spyware module known as SpinOK. According to Dr.Web, SpinOK uses minigames that reward users daily, attracting their interest.
Once the user downloads these apps, they will take sensitive information from the user’s phone in the background and transfer these data to a remote server.
App developers who use such software development kits (SDKs) to steal users’ personal information. They then send them to remote servers, and these data can be utilized to steal money from banks or blackmail potential victims with private photos and clips.
Some of those apps are Macaron Match, Macaron Boom, Jelly Connect, Tiler Master, Crazy Magic Ball, and more. So, if you see any of these apps on your screen, it is best not to download them.
According to reports from various news outlets, these innocent-looking apps that contain spyware have been downloaded over 420 million times. While many of these identified apps have already been removed, some are still accessible on Google Play Store as of press time.
Not again
But that happened last month. Yet, unfortunately, just recently, CloudSEK, a platform that predicts cyber threats, discovered 193 more apps that are showing similar issues as discussed earlier and have been downloaded 30 million times. Many of them are still on the Google Play Store as of this time of writing.
The new set of apps discovered on the Google Play Store with the issue includes Quick Loan Pro, Pixel Battle, Dong Bao, and more.
A spokesperson from Google has reportedly released a statement to the media regarding these incidents. They said, “The safety of users and developers is at the core of Google Play. We have reviewed recent reports on SpinOK SDK and are taking appropriate action on apps that violate our policies. Users are also protected by Google Play Protect, which warns users of apps known to exhibit malicious behavior on Android devices with Google Play Services, even when those apps come from other sources.”
So, before downloading any app on Google Play, it is advisable that you read the reviews first. You may also install a credible anti-virus app.
