Another warning has just been issued for users to delete ‘dangerous’ apps on their phones, after security researchers found an alarming number of malware-laced finance apps which had been installed on millions of devices. If you have any of the apps listed below—delete them immediately.
When it comes to the Apple Vs Google duopoly, whose ecosystems dominate the global smartphone industry, the key differentiator remains choice vs security. Apple locks the gates to its walled garden, as far as it’s able, limiting a billion-plus users to its own App Store and default messaging platform option amongst other things. Google takes a different approach.
“We’re trying to strike a balance,” Sundar Pichai explained last month, citing its Play Store Vs Apple’s App Store as an example. “We believe in choice, so on Android we allow you to sideload and install additional applications.” But he then went on to warn users that this is like a seatbelt in a car, we are adding the protections so you can use it safely.” But, just like seatbelts, risks remain.
And so we have seen again here, with the latest warning about malware-laced apps evading Google’s seatbelt and cropping up on its Play Store, as well as on wilder, third-party app stores.
ESET’s researchers found some of the dangerous apps on Apple’s App Store as well, albeit it was much more prevalent on Google’s Play Store. But Apple users should also check their devices.
“Since the beginning of 2023,” according to ESET’s Lukas Stefanko, “[our] researchers have observed an alarming growth of deceptive Android loan apps, which present themselves as legitimate personal loan services, promising quick and easy access to funds.”
ESET has dubbed these dangerous apps “SpyLoan,” warning that all the apps “are marketed through social media and SMS messages, and available to download from dedicated scam websites and third-party app stores. All of these apps were also available on Google Play.”
The apps stem from the same source and behave identically once installed, regardless of the store from which they were downloaded. The apps had already targeted multiple countries by the time ESET issued its warning, albeit not yet Europe or the US. But US and European users with contacts in those targeted countries, especially where they use overseas numbers, could be at risk.
The apps are designed to steal sensitive personal information, including account details, messages and contacts. ESET passed details of 18 such apps on the Play Store to Google, with all but one removed. But not before those apps had secured more than 12 million downloads.
If you have any of these 17 apps on your phone (list courtesy of PhoneArena), obviously delete them right away and you would be well advised to change the passcode for your device, your WiFi password and the passwords for your key financial accounts. You should also keep an eye out for suspicious activity, emails or other messages that you receive for some time to come.
- AA Kredit
- Amor Cash
- GuayabaCash
- EasyCredit
- Cashwow
- CrediBus
- FlashLoan
- PréstamosCrédito
- Préstamos De Crédito-YumiCash
- Go Crédito
- Instantáneo Préstamo
- Cartera grande
- Rápido Crédito
- Finupp Lending
- 4S Cash
- TrueNaira
- EasyCash
But these specific 17 apps are not really the issue, but rather just the latest example of sophisticated malware targeting the smartphones that gatekeeper all our lives and access all our critical information and most sensitive information.
The real issue is one of balance, returning to Pichai’s corporate perspective on choice. How do we value choice versus privacy and security. And as Apple comes under increasing pressure to dismantle some of the high walls around its trillion-dollar garden, what unattended consequences will that drive for a billion-plus user base that has come to rely on Apple’s defences to a fairly large extent.
Apple has acknowledged that it will make some App Store concessions following EU regulatory pressure in particular, as it has done in recent weeks over iMessage’s inability to play nicely with Google’s alternative. But, just as with iMessage, the way Apple implements change will be critical.
The compromise on iMessage appears to be co-existence in parallel rather than deep integration, with RCS adoption running alongside and not inside Apple’s platform. It seems likely that Apple’s nod to third-party app stores will follow a similar path, with deep-seated wraparound controls that go beyond Google’s much more laissez-faire approach to its Play Store.
Google has been much criticized for the seeming ease by which its defences can be compromised, which prompted its launch of the App Defense Alliance, bringing security researches into the fold. It was under this arrangement that ESET identified and flagged the SpyLoan apps.
Google has provided guidance to Android users as to signs their devices might have been compromised, listing the following symptoms—users are advised to take note:
Device Symptoms:
- Alerts about a virus or an infected device
- Anti-virus software you use no longer works or runs
- A significant decrease in your device’s operating speed
- A significant, unexpected decrease in storage space on your device
- Your device stops working properly or working altogether
Browser symptoms:
- Alerts about a virus or an infected device
- Pop-up ads and new tabs that won’t go away
- Unwanted Chrome extensions or toolbars keep coming back
- Your browsing seems out of your control, and redirects to unfamiliar pages or ads
- Your Chrome homepage or search engine keeps changing without your permission
Other symptoms:
- Your contacts have received emails or social media messages from you, but you didn’t send the emails or messages.
In the event that you see any of the above on your device, Google’s advice is as follows:
- Make sure Google Play Protect is turned on
- Check for Android device & security updates
- Get the latest Android updates available for you
- Get security updates & Google Play system updates
- Remove untrusted apps (meaning from outside Play Store or no longer on Play Store)
- Do a Security Checkup
But despite this advice and its various initiatives, Google’s Play Store remains much more rife with malware than Apple’s equivalent. Until now, there hs been no benchmark against which to judge Google’s security efforts. But with Apple’s move that could all be about to change. If the iPhone maker can open the door to third-party app stores without widely weakening its defenses at the same time, then Google will inevitably come under pressure to do better for Android users.
And that, for the millions of users infected with SpyLoan and other malware, will be no bad thing.
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