Last Updated: November 13, 2023, 16:29 IST
United States of America (USA)
600 million downloads of malicious apps is a big issue for Google
Android malware has been a long-standing issue and 600 million downloads say Google is finding it hard to control the malaise.
Google says it is doing everything to fight malware on Android but a new security report suggests the company isn’t doing much to thwart the problem. In fact, the report from Kaspersky talks about over 600 million downloads of malicious apps from Google Play Store by Android users in 2023.
This is a staggering figure for a platform like Android which itself has billions of active devices across the globe. The report doesn’t mention if the apps were downloaded on smartphone or tablet but we assume the 600 million figure is likely to include both the platforms.
Google has repeatedly said that malware protection is at the top of its agenda and the Play Protect feature is claimed to offer security against such dangerous apps but the security firm’s findings hints the challenge to counter malicious apps is harder than anyone imagines, including Google.
The firm also points out that most of these apps enter the Play Store scanning without raising any alarm but with the later updates, these apps are infected with malware which makes them potentially a nightmare of the phone users, who can lose their confidential data among other things without letting you know of such actions.
Kaspersky says the malware problem in Android has been for years but apps like iRecorder have shown the mastery and sophistication of the attackers who now are able to bypass Google’s app store security scans and continue to be a visible force on the App store that allows millions to download them.
Apps like Beauty Slimming Photo Editor, Photo Effect Editor and GIF Camera Editor Pro show the attackers know what people like to use these days on their phones and then serve them with options that give them all the features but also bug them with malware. These three apps itself have recorded over 600,000 installs on Android. But that’s not all, you also had malicious clone apps of Minecraft containing hidden ads that can be the source of infecting your device.
How To Avoid Downloading Malicious Apps On Android
Google continues to build systems to crackdown on these dangerous apps but there are some ways in which Android users can avoid falling prey to these apps.
– Check for the publisher of the app – If the app has not been developed by a renowned company, we suggest you avoid installing the app.
– Scroll down to the app list and look for the comments put by various users. The ratings of the apps can be subjective and hard to read into but any negative comment will show the real picture.
– If people say the app is draining the battery or causing other issues, avoid downloading such apps.
