Delete these 17 Android apps NOW – they can steal your cash and read your texts
ANDROID phone and tablet owners are being urged to delete 17 apps that could spy on your texts – or steal your cash.
The apps are all infected by a “malicious” malware called Joker, which has made its way onto more than 100,000 devices.
Worryingly, these apps are available from the Google Play Store – usually seen as a safe haven for users.
The apps have now been banned by Google, but Joker may still be lurking on your phone, as revealed by cyber-experts at ZScaler.
It’s a particularly rogue piece of malware that can seriously damage your privacy.
Joker can steal your SMS messages, contact lists and even device information.
And it can also silently sign you up to premium services – which could leave you with a big bill to foot.
“We recommend paying close attention to the permission list in the apps that you install on your Android device,” said Viral Ghandi, of ZScaler.
“Always watch out for the risky permissions related to SMS, call logs, contacts and more.
“Reading the comment or reviews on the app page also helps identify compromised apps.”
Researchers warned that 17 different samples of the Joker malware were uploaded to Google Play in September this year.
And around 120,000 downloads were recorded for the “malicious apps”.
Here’s the full list of dodgy apps you should be wary of:
- All Good PDF Scanner
- Mint Leaf Message-Your Private Message
- Unique Keyboard – Fancy Fonts & Free Emoticons
- Tangram App Lock
- Direct Messenger
- Private SMS
- One Sentence Translator – Multifunctional Translator
- Style Photo Collage
- Meticulous Scanner
- Desire Translate
- Talent Photo Editor – Blur focus
- Care Message
- Part Message
- Paper Doc Scanner
- Blue Scanner
- Hummingbird PDF Converter – Photo to PDF
- All Good PDF Scanner
All of these apps have now been removed from the Google Play Store.
But you’ll also need to delete them from your smartphone, if you’ve got them installed.
Make sure you go into your Settings app to do this, otherwise you may simply be deleting app shortcuts.
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n other news, Snapchat is testing a new explore feature that could make it a lot more similar to TikTok.
Unsuspecting WhatsApp users are being warned about ‘fake’ versions of the app that could leave them vulnerable to hackers.
And, Tinder has started testing a new ‘virtual dating’ feature that will let you video chat with your potential lover.
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