Rooting Apps Found in Google Play
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 01/11/2016 10:50 AM
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According to a Lookout blog, researchers discovered 13 apps in the Google Play store containing malicious malware, several of which are capable of rooting phones and cannot be removed by factory reset or any other method.
The good news is that Google has since removed the apps. The bad news is that devices infected with the malware must be replaced -- or re-flashed with a ROM supplied by the device's manufacturer. Users should check with the manufacturer for the best solution to remove the malware.
The applications, discovered by Lookout researchers, are related to malware discovered in a game called Brain Test that was found in the Google Play store in September. The malicious applications behave similarly to the phone-rooting malicious adware discovered by Lookout in November.
Lookout Senior Security Analyst Chris Dehghanpoor said: "The explanation for the apps' high ratings and hundreds-of-thousands of downloads is the malware itself. Some are highly rated because they are fun to play. Mischievously, though, the apps are capable of using compromised devices to download and positively review other malicious apps in the Play store by the same authors.”
These apps can be found outside the Google Play store.
Source: Arstechnica
The good news is that Google has since removed the apps. The bad news is that devices infected with the malware must be replaced -- or re-flashed with a ROM supplied by the device's manufacturer. Users should check with the manufacturer for the best solution to remove the malware. The applications, discovered by Lookout researchers, are related to malware discovered in a game called Brain Test that was found in the Google Play store in September. The malicious applications behave similarly to the phone-rooting malicious adware discovered by Lookout in November.
Lookout Senior Security Analyst Chris Dehghanpoor said: "The explanation for the apps' high ratings and hundreds-of-thousands of downloads is the malware itself. Some are highly rated because they are fun to play. Mischievously, though, the apps are capable of using compromised devices to download and positively review other malicious apps in the Play store by the same authors.”
These apps can be found outside the Google Play store.
Source: Arstechnica
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