From Samsung to Google, Android smartphones are some of the most popular handheld devices around the world.
But if you have an Android smartphone, you may want to reconsider which apps you have installed on your device.
A new report by Secure-D has warned of a spike in malicious apps that can fleece you out of huge amounts of money.
Geoffrey Cleaves, Head of Secure-D at Upstream, said: “With the majority of the world having shifted indoors, there were some darker forces acting to make a profit from the lockdown situation.
“At Secure-D, we’ve seen a sharp increase in bad actors publishing ‘leisure’ apps on the Google Play Store, which trick users into subscribing for premium services.”
In particular, the researchers highlight a troublesome app called Snaptube.
In the report, the researchers explained: “The most troublesome app to date in 2020 is Snaptube, a video downloader app that has been downloaded more than 40 million times worldwide.
“In 2019, Upstream’s Secure-D platform logged 70 million fraudulent transactions through the same app – more than half of them in Brazil.
“In October 2019, Upstream reported the app, however it is still available through many third party app stores.”
Worryingly, the researchers believe that these malicious apps may have a particularly detrimental effect amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Cleaves said: “Being in lockdown means prepaid customers will find it difficult to get out the front door to top up their data bundles.
“In the meantime, malware could be eating into those data bundles. I suspect we may see a drop in mobile internet traffic, and successful billing attempts, in predominantly prepaid developing markets while lockdowns are in force”.
Based on the findings, we would suggest deleting Snaptube from your smartphone immediately.
