(Credit: Shutterstock / Stokkete)
Doctor Web's latest monthly mobile threat report has identified several Android apps with more than 2 million installs that masquerade as gaming or productivity apps but are actually adware.
Originally spotted by Bleeping Computer, the apps have since been removed from Google Play, but if you downloaded any of them on your devices, make sure you uninstall them immediately.
The biggest culprit of the bunch is an app called Super Skibydi Killer, which has amassed over a million installs. The app promises a game where players take on the role of a “super killer” and try to assassinate their enemy through a series of shooting games.
Once installed, Super Skibydi Killer and others try "to hide from users" by using transparent home-screen icons or those that looked like the Google Chrome browser. "When users tap on such an icon, these trojans launch the browser and continue to operate in the background," Doctor Web says. Other apps that were part of this scheme include Agent Shooter, Rainbow Stretch, and Rubber Punch 3D.
Doctor Web also found two Joker family apps on Google Play that subscribe users to paid services. One of those apps, Love Emoji Messenger, was downloaded 50,000 times. Another app, Beauty Wallpaper HD, only had about 1,000 downloads.
Beyond those the site also found several fake apps that were distributed as financial software for things like stock trading or home accounting but in fact, launched fraudulent sites where victims were encouraged to become investors. Those apps include GazEndow Economic, MoneyMentor, FinancialFusion, and Financial Vault.
Other games within Google Play are advertised as games; however, once installed their main functionality is to load online casino websites. Those games include Eternal Maze, Jungle Jewels, Stellar Secrets, Fire Fruits, Cowboy’s Frontier, and Enchanted Elixir.
If you think you’ve downloaded one of the apps in question, delete it immediately and perform a device scan using both Play Protect as well as a mobile antivirus tool.
Apps to Uninstall ASAP
- Agent Shooter
- Rainbow Stretch
- Rubber Punch 3D
- Super Skibydi Killer
- Beauty Wallpaper HD
- Love Emoji Messenger
- GazEndow Economic
- MoneyMentor
- FinancialFusion
- Financial Vault
- Eternal Maze
- Jungle Jewels
- Stellar Secrets
- Fire Fruits
- Cowboy's Frontier
- Enchanted Elixir