Researchers
from the security software company Palo Alto Network made an alarming disclosure
in regards to certain applications accessible on the Google Play Store
esteeming them to be defected with malware for stealing information from the
Windows Computers.
These 145
applications, with names, "Gymnastics Training Tutorial ",
"Modification Trail" and " Learn to Draw Clothing” were uploaded
to Google Play between October 2017 and November 2017 and remained there until
the point when Palo Alto Networks made Google aware of this issue.
Many of
these applications have been downloaded over a thousand times and even 4-star
ratings purportedly from individuals who utilized them.
"We have reported our findings to Google Security
Team and all infected apps have been removed from Google Play,"
In any case, the fact that these infected applications
are very easily accessible on the official Google Play Store is for sure
concerning. Additionally, it demonstrates that the software developer
‘odieapps’ isn't sufficiently paying enough consideration to the security part
of the applications.
This by a long
shot though isn't the first run through Google has needed to expel the
malware-loaded applications from Play, which is by and large thought about as
the most secure hotspot for Android applications.
“These embedded Windows executable binaries
can only run on Windows systems: they are inert and ineffective on the Android
platform. The fact that these APK files are infected indicates that the
developers are creating the software on compromised Windows systems that are
infected with malware.” - Palo Alto
Networks said in a blog post.
Also in the most recent two years alone, various
security vendors have discovered a huge number of Android applications released
to Google Play corrupted with adware, spyware and different vindictive payloads
and much like for this situation where these applications were downloaded
countless of times before being hailed as hazardous and finally expelled from
the Play store.
An analysis of the malware code proposes that the
developers of the compromised applications may have built up the applications
on infected Windows machines and incidentally exchanged the pernicious code in
their Android applications to the Play store.
Had the malware apparatuses functioned as proposed
they would have been equipped for recording the mobile device user's keystrokes
and thusly steal information, like the passwords, social security numbers,
payment card data as well as other important and significant information, says
the Palo Alto Networks.
Nevertheless the capacity of enemies just to get their
malware past the Play store's defenses poses a tough challenge for Google
indeed and as well for the countless users that download their applications
from it.