With more and more people using the Internet regularly, the incidence of dangerous malware affecting mobile phones is growing rapidly. The infamous Joker malware has reportedly returned and spread to be detected again through the Google Play Store.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of Joker malware. Most malware, such as the Joker, infiltrates smartphone users and steals their personal data, snooping on chats and other applications, and sometimes even steals stored financial statements such as debit and credit card details.
As in past examples, Joker malware has once again spread through the Google Play Store. Cybersecurity researchers have discovered that malware has spread through a total of 11 Android apps in the Play Store. This was first reported by ZD Net. Some of these apps include: Free, PDF Converter Scanner, Free Rich Messages, Translate Deluxe Keyboard among others.
What is Joker malware and how does it work?
Researchers have discovered that more than 30,000 of these applications have been installed. Financial fraud is handled in such applications. Researchers at JadeScaler’s ThreatLabs also found that these applications often deceive users into features that are promising for productivity, communication, and other usefulness. The report suggests that Google has removed these 11 applications from the Play Store.
Unlike previous versions, the latest and updated version of the Joker malware uses a fancy method to infect a mobile device. The malware downloads the “payload” of the malware using URL abbreviations, which means it uses links such as TinyRL, Beatley, Rebrandlli, GWS.IM, 2ururl.cn.
Removed these apps from the Play Store platform, but the worry is that Google manages to get the malware back despite security. Researchers have discovered that the malware uses internal bouncer checks of on-device scanning for applications submitted to the Play Store and beyond using Google Play Protect. “Despite public awareness of this particular malware, it continues to enter Google’s official application market using changes to its code, application methods or pay-load-recovery strategies,” the researchers said.
Tips to remember
To protect your phone from being infected with this type of malware in the future, make sure you don’t download random apps from the Play Store. Before downloading an app to their phone, users need to check the developer’s name and all other details in the Play Store section. Users must first check user reviews and ratings before downloading an application. As a precautionary measure, users can also download security tools such as MalwareBytes or Sophos Mobile, which quickly scan and remove unwanted malware from the device.
