42 Android Apps Caught Spying And Serving Annoying Ads. Uninstall Them

Alvine Chaparadza

29 October 2019

It looks like Google just can’t catch a break from bad apps on the Play store. A few weeks ago, the search engine giant had dropped 15 sneaky apps that never delivered the promised service, but flashed annoying full-page ads and ruined the Android experience on mobile.

Now, ESET security researchers have uncovered 42 adware-infected apps on the Play store. The apps appear and work normal, but once the app is launched, it starts to secretly send certain data to a server, data such as device type, OS version, language, number of installed apps, free storage space, battery status, whether the device is rooted and Developer mode enabled, and whether Facebook and FB Messenger are installed or not. This is a serious breach of the trust, as the app never seeks permission from the user to collect this data.

Furthermore, the apps create shortcut icons on the home screen. If the user wants to uninstall the app, they will just delete the shortcut, while the app secretly continues to remain active inside the phone and display ads.

Apparently, more than eight million users have installed them. The ESET security team has informed Google about the malicious apps and Google duly removed them from Play Store. But, if you happen to have any of one of these apps on the phone, you are advised to uninstall them immediately.