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- About 200 malicious apps were discovered in the Google Play Store targeting Android users
- An investigation showed that these malicious apps have been downloaded eight million times by unsuspecting users
- The apps reportedly targeted mobile users in 10 countries, including Nigeria, India, the US, Canada, the Philippines, and others
Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
A recent finding by Zscaler’s TreatLabz research said over 200 malicious apps were downloaded almost eight million times from the Google Play Store.
The apps Google has taken down are significant risks to users globally.
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria and 9 other countries' top targets
Nigeria ranked among the top 10 countries targeted by mobile malware attacks, along with India, the US, Canada, South Africa, the Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Singapore, and the Philippines.
The report stressed the growing vulnerability of mobile devices as they are now the primary tool for online activity, with 96.5% of global internet users using the web via their phones.
The study analysed 20 million blocked malicious transactions and disclosed a 29% rise in banking malware over the past year, while cases of mobile spyware skyrocketed by 111%.
The malware uses QR codes
The report cites that the profitability of cyberattacks is on the rise, with criminals bypassing multifactor authentication using phishing techniques, such as fake login pages for financial institutions and social media platforms.
The report also stressed that QR codes have become famous for cybercriminals.
One of the malware, Anatsa, an infamous Android banking malware, was identified to have used QR codes to compromise banking apps from over 650 financial institutions globally.
According to the report, other attack methods included distributing Android remote access trojans through fake websites for platforms such as Skype, Zoom, and Google Meet, leading users to download harmful APK files.
Another malware, Joker malware, was the most used, accounting for 38% of the total.
Joker was identified as the most malicious
Joker reportedly conducts Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) fraud, silently subscribing users to premium services without consent.
The report said other threats included adware, which accounts for 35% of the observed malware, and Facestealers, which exfiltrate Facebook credentials and comprise 14%.
It also emphasised that cybercriminals regularly disguise malware as legitimate apps, including PDF readers, QR code scanners, file managers, and translators.
These apps serve as loaders, delivering second-stage malware like Anatsa, compromising users’ devices.
Scammers hack Nigerian bank, steal N10 billion
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered an additional 30-day freezing of 818 bank accounts suspected of being involved in the alleged proceeds of crime from an N10 billion cyberattack on Hope Payment Service Bank.
The order, which the Inspector General of Police authorises, was granted by the court presided over by Justice James Omotosho on Monday, October 15, 2024. The court relied on a motion ex parte filed by the police.
According to the motion marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1358/2024, filed against James Akagwu Isaac, Akwubo Gosent, and others, including several banks, the IGP’s legal team said that the accounts via which the defendants were alleged to have received the crime proceeds were under investigation, hence the freeze.
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Source: Legit.ng
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