25 Million Android Phones Infected With Malware Hides In WhatsApp

More than 25 Million Android Smartphone has been hit with Malware that replaces installed apps in your Android Smartphone like WhatsApp with evil versions that serve up cyber-security and ads researchers warned Wednesday.

Agent Smith, The malware abuses last-known weaknesses in the Android Smartphone, and making the latest update or patched version of Google’s (OS) priority.

Israeli Security Company

The security company of Israel checkpoint said that many of victims are based in India, Where more than 15 million were infected.

And there are more than 300,000 in the United  State of America, 137,000 in the United Kingdom, In the recent memory, they are making this one of the more severe threats to have hit Google’s (OS).

A virus has spread via by the third-party app store which is owned by Alibaba China’s, Rather than the Google Play store.

Commonly, this kind of Non-Google Play attacks focuses on developing countries such as the United State, United Kingdom, and etc.

The researchers wrote, “Due to its ability to hide it’s an icon from the launcher and impersonates any popular existing apps on a device, there are endless possibilities for this sort of malware to harm a user’s device,”

They said that they had warned Google and the admissible law enforcement agencies.

The official’s Google couldn’t provide comment at the same time of publication.

Commonly, The virus works as following: Mobile users download an application from the store, Such as Game, Photo utility, adult-themed apps, and etc.

This kind of application silently installs the malware in your Android Smartphone, disguised as a legitimate Google updating tool. No icon displays for this on the screen.

But there is any indication that the attackers are moving to Google play store.

Check Point Researchers said, in the research, they had found more than 11 applications on Google’s Play store that contained a “Dormant” piece of the hacker software.

Google quickly took those applications down from Google’s play store.

Check Point Researchers believes that an unnamed Chinese company based in Guangzhou has been building and designing the malware.

What can we do?

Now that question might come in your mind that what can anxious Android Smartphone owners do?

The head of cyber analysis and response,  Aviran Hazum said that “if users experience advertisements displayed at odd times,

such as when they open WhatsApp, they should take action. The legitimate WhatsApp, of course, does not serve ads.

First, go to Android settings, then the apps and notifications section. Next, got to the app info list and look for suspicious applications with names like Google Updater,

Google Installer for U, Google Powers, and Google Installer. Click into the suspicious application and choose to uninstall it.

Otherwise, staying away from unofficial Android app stores might help, given Google’s extra protections designed to prevent malware from getting on the site.

Not that Google’s efforts always pay off. Earlier this week, a warning went out about an Android malware spreading over Google Play that was screen recording users banking sessions.”