Didactic content
Cybersecurity consultancy Pradeo detected Joker malware camouflaged in four applications hosted on Google Play. This malware was discovered in 2017 and continues to pose a threat to users. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to a series of details before downloading applications to the mobile phone.
Although hosted on official websites such as Google Play, caution should be exercised when downloading mobile “apps”.
By Editorial. Photography: Mohi Syed.
Although a application is downloaded from an official site such as Google Play, it may be a tool that serves the cybercriminality. This was revealed by Pradeo. This cybersecurity consulting firm has just identified four new apps in the above shop who hide the malware Joker.
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What is Joker malware and what is its purpose?
Also known as Bread, the malware Joker is an old acquaintance. Concretely, it was discovered by Google in 2017. And hidden in apps, he is in charge of:
- Get contacts, SMS messages and banking credentials.
- Steal money from victims through paid SMS, purchases and service subscriptions prime.
Since its discovery, Google has been forced to strengthen your defenses to prevent the malware Joker is infiltrated into the apps it offers through Google Play. However, you don’t always understand.
This is so because cybercriminals submit the requests a google game without any viral load. It is therefore, first of all, apps harmless And it is later that they are manipulated into becoming malicious applications. In this regard, as Pradeo posted on his blog, Joker’s fingerprint is very discreet and difficult to detect. This is so because use as little code as possible In apps and keep it hidden.
In which new “applications” has the “malware” been detected?
With regard to new applications in which the malware joker, son Tensiometer, Quick Text SMS, smart texting there voice language translator. Together these apps have been downloaded by over 100,000 users. And two of them might violate protocol of two-factor authentication. After being discovered by Pradeo, all four have already been removed from Google Play.
How to identify these malicious “applications”?
In order to prevent the download of malicious apps that hide malwarePradeo advises pay attention to the following details:
- In apps malware, privacy policies are often short and never clearly explain the activity. Likewise, they tend to be hosted on a Google Docs or Google Sites page.
- It is not usual for these applications to be linked to a website or to the name of a company that supports their activity and, therefore, generates user trust.