Almost every once in a while, news about Android apps containing malicious viruses and malicious code comes out. This time, Zimperium, a foreign security agency, discovered that more than 130 Android Apps contain a malicious virus called GriftHorse, which can induce users to mistakenly pay for subscriptions and then make money. More than 10 million devices have been installed, and the scope of the impact can be said to be very large.
Hundreds of Android Apps Found to Contain GriftHorse Malicious Virus
According to Zimperium, they found that there are more than 130 malicious applications with GriftHorse embedded in Google Play. Some of them do provide relevant functions, and some are completely useless. After the user installs them, it will use some inducement steps to steal the user’s money.
The induction method is roughly as follows. After the user installs it, he will be bombarded with winning notifications. The phone will pop up at least 5 times per hour, telling him to claim it immediately. When the user cannot withstand the temptation to click, this malicious application will automatically generate a local language webpage based on its IP location and ask for a phone number for verification. In fact, this number is not verification, but an automatic subscription to a paid service. The user will not know it now, and will not see the subscription fee until he receives the phone bill:
The apps have been around since November last year, with each user being charged an average of $42 per month, meaning the total amount stolen so far could be in the hundreds of millions of euros.
According to Zimperium’s investigation, affected devices are spread across the world, in as many as 70 countries, and the red dot on the map also includes Taiwan, but most users are still located in Europe and the United States:
For this reason, Google has been notified to delete these apps, but they are not sure whether there are other apps with GriftHorse built in, so when users download new apps, please pay attention to whether there are similar inducement steps.
Here are the apps that have been found to be problematic:
- 100% Projector for Mobile Phone
- 3D Camera To Plan
- Amazing Sticky Slime Simulator ASMR\u200f
- Amazing Video Editor
- AR Phone Booster – Battery Saver
- Bag X-Ray 100% Scanner
- Battery Live Wallpaper 4K
- Bus – Metrolis 2021
- Bus Driving Simulator
- Call Blocker-Spam Call Blocker
- Call Blocker-Spam Call Blocker
- Call Recoder Pro
- Call Record Pro
- Call Recorder iCall
- Caller ID & Spam Blocker
- CallerID
- Caller-x
- CallHelp: Second Phone Number
- Chat Translator All Messengers
- CIAO – Live Video Chat
- Cinema Hall: Free HD Movies
- Clap
- Clap To Find My Phone
- ClipBuddy
- Color Call Changer
- Coupons & Gifts: InstaShop
- CutCut Pro
- Daily Horoscope & Life Palmestry
- Dating App – Sweet Meet
- Easy Bass Booster
- Easy TV Show
- Ela-Salaty: Muslim Prayer Times & Qibla Direction
- English Arabic Translator direct
- Face Analyzer
- FastPulse – Heart Rate Monitor
- FindContact
- Fingerprint Changer
- Fingerprint Defender
- Fitness Point
- Fitness Trainer
- Forza H Mobile 4 Ultimate Edition
- Free Calls WorldWide
- Free Coupons 2021
- Free Islamic Stickers 2021
- Free Translator Photo
- FX Keyboard
- Geospot: GPS Location Tracker
- GetContacter
- GPS Phone Tracker – Family Locator
- Handy Translator Pro
- Heart Rate and Meal Tracker
- Heart Rate and Pulse Tracker
- Heart Rate Pro Health Monitor
- Heart Rhythm
- HOO Live – Meet and Chat
- Horoscope : Fortune
- Hunt Contact
- iCare – Find Location
- iConnected Tracker
- Icony
- Idle Gun Tycoo\u202an\u202c
- Instant Speech Translation
- Intelligent Translator Pro
- iSalam Qibla Compass
- iTranslator_ Text & Voice & Photo
- Keyboard Themes
- Keyboard: Virtual Projector App
- KFC Saudi – Get free delivery and 50% off coupons
- Language Translator-Easy&Fast
- Launcher iOS 15
- Launcher iOS for Android
- Lifeel – scan and test
- Live Mobile Number Tracker
- Live Wallpaper & Background
- Loca – Find Location
- Locatoria – Find Location
- Locker Tool
- Ludo Game Classic
- Ludo Speak v2.0
- Mine Easy Translator
- Mobile Things Finder
- My Chat Translator
- My Locator Plus
- OFFRoaders – Survive
- Parallax paper 3D
- Phone Caller Screen 2021
- Phone Finder by Clapping
- Phone Search by Clap
- PhoneControl Block Spam Calls
- Photo Effect Pro
- Photo Lab
- Piano Bot Easy Lessons
- PikCho Editor app
- Plant Camera Identifier
- Pony Video Chat-Live Stream
- Proof-Caller
- Prookie-Cartoon Photo Editor
- Pulse App – Heart Rate Monitor
- Qibla AR Pro
- Qibla Compass
- Qibla Compass (Kaaba Locator)
- Qibla correct Quran Coran Koran
- Qibla direction watch (compass)
- Qibla Finder – Qibla Direction
- Qibla Pass Direction
- Qibla Ultimate
- QR Code Reader – Barcode Scanner
- QR Reader Pro
- R Circle – Location Finder
- Racers Car Driver
- Safe Lock
- Scanner App Scan Docs & Notes
- Scanner Pro App: PDF Document
- Screen Mirroring TV Cast
- Second Translate PRO
- Skycoach
- Slime Simulator
- Smart Call Recorder
- Smart Spot Locator
- SnapLens – Photo Translator
- Soul Scanner – Check Your
- Squishy and Pop it
- Stickers Maker for WhatsApp
- Street Cars: pro Racing
- TagsContact
- Translate It – Online App
- Truck – RoudDrive Offroad
- TrueCaller & TrueRecoder
- Vector arts
- Video & Photo Recovery Manager 2
- VPN Zone – Fast & Easy Proxy
- What’s Me Sticker
- WiFi Unlock Password Pro X
- You Frame
- Zodiac : Hand
- Быстрые кредиты 24\7
Source: KOCPC Chinese