A team of cybersecurity researchers who work for Security Without Borders have found that many of the Google Play apps have malware. The malware gathers the person’s information and sends it to another server. There are 20 apps on the Google Play store that have this app.
The name of the malware is Exodus. Not only does it have malicious software but it also has spyware. It can steal your personal information. The security report stated that they had identified several malware apps that had been uploaded to the Google Play store over the past two years. The apps were on the Google Play store for months. After they were taken down, they were re-uploaded to the Google Play store.
There are two stages of malware, which are Exodus One and Exodus Two. The first stage begins when a person first downloads the app. The second stage occurs when a person checks the app after downloading it. Exodus can do the following.
- Make a list of all of the installed applications
- Use a built-in microphone to record surroundings
- Extract the call logs
- Extract events from the calendar app
- Extract the address book
- Retrieve all SMS messages
- Extract the Wi-Fi password
The good news is that the Android devices that have been updated are immune to this malware. Google Play has also removed most of the apps that had the malware on it. There are also a few things that you can do if you have Malware on your Android phone.
You will need to turn your phone off and then back on. After that, you will need to remove the infected app. You will also need to look for other apps that have malware on them.
Dil Bole Oberoi
