Fake Android photo apps booted off Google Play
Cybersecurity researchers identified dozens of fake apps on the Google Play Store intended solely for malicious purposes. The apps posed as Android photo enhancers, some claiming to beautify photos as they’re taken, others claiming to provide fun filters for existing pictures. But no matter what the app claimed to be, it didn’t work as promised. The “beautifying” apps triggered a cavalcade of malware-laced ads and phishing attempts, while the “photo filter” apps uploaded user snapshots to the malware’s C&C (Command and Control Server). A trait among each of the dirty apps was the ability to disappear from the application list once installed so the user would have difficulty trying to delete it. Once alerted about the apps, Google immediately removed them from the Play Store.
