Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Mobile

    Google Removes 145 Malware-Laden Apps From Play Store

    By
    Jaikumar Vijayan
    -
    August 4, 2018
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Google Play Malware

      Google has removed 145 Android applications from its Play mobile app store after a security vendor discovered them to be infected with malware for stealing data from Windows computers. 

      The compromised applications, with names such as “Gymnastics Training Tutorial”, “Modification Trail” and “Learn to Draw Clothing” were uploaded to Google Play between October 2017 and November 2017 and remained there until security vendor Palo Alto Networks informed Google of the problem. 

      Several of the apps were downloaded more than 1,000 times during the more than six months that the applications were available on the Play store and gained 4-star ratings purportedly from people who used the apps, Palo Alto Networks said in an alert July 30. “We have reported our findings to Google Security Team and all infected apps have been removed from Google Play,” the company noted. 

      This by far isn’t the first time Google has had to remove malware-laden applications from Play, which is generally considered the most secure source for Android applications. 

      In fact over the past two years alone, numerous security vendors have found thousands of Android applications released to Google Play tainted with adware, spyware and other malicious payloads. Many of the apps were downloaded hundreds of thousands of times before being flagged as dangerous and removed from the Play store. 

      In this instance however, the errant apps posed no danger to Android users because the embedded malware in them was –somewhat puzzlingly—designed to execute only on Windows systems. The malware embedded in the purged applications was completely “inert and ineffective on the Android platform,” meaning users were in no danger of losing their data as a result, Palo Alto said. 

      An analysis of the malware code suggests that the developers of the compromised applications may have developed the apps on infected Windows machines and inadvertently transferred the malicious code in their Android applications to the Play store. “This type of infection is a threat to the software supply chain as compromising software developers has proven to be an effective tactic for wide scale attacks,” the vendor said. 

      Had the malware tools worked as intended they would have been capable of recording the mobile device user’s keystrokes and steal data such as passwords, Social Security Numbers, payment card data and other sensitive information, Palo Alto Networks said. 

      The continuing ability of adversaries to get their malware past the Play store’s defenses poses a challenge for Google and for the hundreds of millions of users that download their apps from that site. 

      Play is Google’s official store for Android apps and the company uses a layered set of automated and human filters for detecting and removing potentially harmful applications from the store. The company has also become more careful about vetting developers and has relatively strict policies for dealing with those who repeatedly violate policies.

      Jaikumar Vijayan
      Vijayan is an award-winning independent journalist and tech content creation specialist covering data security and privacy, business intelligence, big data and data analytics.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×