Dr Web Names One of the Most Common Threats to Android

Doctor Web's June 2022 released a review of virus activity on mobile devices. It revealed that malicious apps remained among the most common threats to Android devices in June.

During June, experts found dozens of malicious apps on Google Play, including adware trojans, fake apps used by scammers, identity theft apps that look for sensitive data, and so on.

Adware trojans, for example, have been embedded in image-editing tools, virtual keyboards, system tools and utilities, calling apps and wallpaper-collecting apps.

Trojans disguise their icons from the list of installed apps in the home screen menu or replace them with less visible ones.

Dr Web analysts also found malicious apps in the Play Store that infect users' devices with the Joker malware. Their danger is that they can download and execute arbitrary code and sign victims up for paid mobile services without their knowledge. They were found in the third-party launcher Poco Launcher, the 4K Pro Camera app and the Heart Emoji Stickers collection app.

Other malicious apps discovered by Dr Web researcher are designed to steal data that can be used to steal Facebook accounts. For example, YouToon - AI Cartoon Effect and Pista - Cartoon Photo Effect masquerade as image editing tools. They ask potential victims to sign in to their accounts and then upload the real Facebook authorisation page. They then intercept this data and send it to the attackers.