Android users are again victims of a new malware attack in the Android Market. After having a really bad history with detecting and removing apps containing malware from Android Market, Google is again facing a challenge to protect a vast number of its users of a suspected malware attack.
According to Symantec, this is the biggest malware breakout till now and could have been affected more than 5 million Android users. Symantec has alerted that there are at least 13 such malware affected apps in the official Android Market by 3 distributors namely iApps7, Ogre Games and redmicapps. The antivirus expert has said that the apps have been carrying a malicious part in them namely the Android.Counterclank which could be stealing user info and also running ads without the wish and will of the device owner.
Symantec told Computer World,
Some of the 13 apps that Symantec identified as infected have been on the Android Market for at least a month, according to the revision dates posted on the e-store. Symantec, however, discovered them only yesterday.
Users had noticed something fishy before then.
“The game is decent … but every time you run this game, a ‘search icon gets added randomly to one of your screens,” said one user on Jan. 16 after downloading “Deal & Be Millionaire,” one of the 13. “I keep deleting the icon, but it always reappears. If you tap the icon you get a page that looks suspiciously like the Google search page.”
The list of the 13 suspected apps are as follows:
- Counter Elite Force
- Counter Strike Ground Force
- CounterStrike Hit Enemy
- Heart Live Wallpaper
- Hit Counter Terrorist
- Stripper Touch girl
- Balloon Game
- Deal & Be Millionaire
- Wild Man
- Pretty women lingerie puzzle
- Sexy Girls Photo Game
- Sexy Girls Puzzle
- Sexy Women Puzzle
So if you have by any chance, have any of the apps with the titles as above, downloaded on your device then kindly DO-NOT use them and try to remove them ASAP.