Google bans popular smart TV app and now you must delete it from your phone
ANDROID users need to check their smartphone or tablet to see if they downloaded a number of malicious apps from the Google Play Store - including one popular TV service - which are capable of secretly stealing your money.
Android smartphone and tablet owners are once again being warned about dangerous apps that managed to sneak onto the Google Play Store. The alarm bells have been rung this time around about the 'Smart TV remote' and 'Halloween Coloring' Android apps, with the former downloaded from the Google Play Store at least 1,000 times. These dangerous Android apps were highlighted by Tatyana Shishkova, an Android malware analyst at Kaspersky, who said the apps were being used to spread the notorious Joker malware.
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Joker was first spotted in 2019, and has become a go-to-choice for cyber crooks trying to scam unsuspecting Android users.
The dangerous trojan is designed to be extremely hard for Google's security systems to detect, and is capable of signing up victims to expensive subscription plans.
These plans can end up costing Android users hundreds of pounds each month unless they spot something is amiss and end up cancelling the bogus subscriptions they didn't sign up to.
Earlier this week Shishkova named and shamed these apps on Twitter, letting users know the downloads were loaded with the Joker malware so they could avoid it.
The apps have since been taken down from the Google Play Store, but if you downloaded the programmes before then you'll need to remove the apps from your device.
The latest warning comes as Shishkova has, in the past few weeks, highlighted a stream of Android apps on the Google Play Store that were also loaded with the Joker malware.
Google Play Store: How to update on an Android device
These apps have now been pulled from the Google Play Store. But if you missed these alerts then here are the apps you need to be wary of...
• Now QRcode Scan - Over 10,000 installs
• EmojiOne Keyboard - Over 50,000 installs
• Battery Charging Animations Battery Wallpaper - Over 1,000 installs
• Dazzling Keyboard - Over 10 installs
• Volume Booster Louder Sound Equalizer - Over 100 installs
• Super Hero-Effect - Over 5,000 installs
• Classic Emoji Keyboard - Over 5,000 installs
As always, one of the best ways to protect yourself from malware threats is to only use apps from trusted developers, and avoid unknown app makers and downloads with a small amount of reviews.
You can also sign-up to an anti-virus service to get an extra layer of protection for your devices.
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