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Researchers have found 20 Android apps designed to steal cryptocurrency by impersonating popular wallets and gaining access by faking services. If you have crypto, you should ensure you haven't downloaded any of these fake apps.
Experts at Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs (CRIL) found the apps on the Google Play Store, which have since been removed. Some of the apps had been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, and if they're on your device, they'll remain there until you manually delete them.
The fake apps impersonate services Bulix Crypto, Harvest Finance blog, Hyperliquid, Meteora Exchange, OpenOcean Exchange, Pancake Swap, Raydium, Suiet Wallet, and SushiSwap. CRIL found multiple fake apps for some services.
If you use any of these crypto platforms, head to Cyble's full research report to see the specific Android package names to help you identify whether you downloaded a malicious version instead of the official app.
Those who installed the apps were redirected to a URL where they were asked for a 12-word phrase connected to their official wallet. With that phrase, the threat actor was sometimes able to take funds from the wallet.
Cyble says the scammers used developer accounts that were already established with multiple apps on offer. Some of these were uploaded by accounts that previously offered Android games.
A spokesperson for Google told PCMag, “All of the identified malicious apps from this report have been removed from Google Play. Users are automatically protected by Google Play Protect, which can warn users or block apps known to exhibit malicious behavior on Android devices with Google Play Services.”
If you’ve downloaded one of these and you’re worried you’ve been tricked, you should find an alternative way to access your crypto wallet without using the fake app. Change your access information and report the potential of malicious access directly to the service.
If you remain concerned, you may also decide to take your funds from the account and put them in an alternative service to ensure your money is safe.