36 malicious applications were removed from Google Play

These applications were identified by McAfee, which discovered a software library called Goldsun that can collect information such as the list of installed applications, information on devices connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and geographic location from the user’s mobile phone. In addition, this library could commit ad fraud by clicking on ads in the background of the phone without the user’s knowledge.

According to Aetna from Isna, McAfee identified more than 60 applications containing this malicious library, which were downloaded more than 100 million times in the Google Play store. After this discovery, Google got to work and removed 36 applications from this store. Other apps were updated by their designers.

Users are advised to update their apps or remove them if they are identified as a threat to Android phone users. In addition, before downloading the app from the Play Store or other app stores, users should take precautions and check the name of the designer, the number of downloads, the comments section and the number of applications that the designer has made, and view the preview section of the application to Make sure the images are authentic and not fake.

According to the report of Gizmochina, this incident once again reminded users and designers to be vigilant and deterrent in preventing malicious applications from entering the market. Users should keep their apps updated and developers should follow best practices for app development and security and scan and test their apps for possible vulnerabilities before release.