Android is a malware-prone operating system. Despite Google’s security efforts, Android devices being infected with malware or compromised is not unheard of.
‘Autolycos’ malware has now made its way to the Google Play Store, where it has been discovered to be packed with eight popular apps, resulting in over 3 million downloads.
Autolycos malware was found by security researcher Maxime Ingrao and originally reported by Bleeping Computer. The malware was discovered in at least eight Android apps, all of which have been removed by Google. According to sources, Google took six months from the initial acceptance of the report to remove these eight applications. List of apps on Google Play store found to have the malware:
- Vlog Star Video Editor (1 million downloads)
- Creative 3D Launcher (1 million downloads)
- Wow Beauty Camera (100,000 downloads)
- Gif Emoji Keyboard (100,000 downloads)
- Razer Keyboard & Theme (10,000 downloads)
- Freeglow Camera 1.0.0 (5,000 downloads)
- Coco Camera v1.1 (1,000 downloads)
- Funny Camera by KellyTech (50,000 downloads)
If you have downloaded any of them, the first thing you should do is uninstall the app immediately. Users can also use their file explorer to look for the app’s name. If they discover a folder or any file related to the app, you should remove it and restart your smartphone. Users are also cautioned not to download apps from social media adverts unless they are from a well-known developer.