These Android apps are riddled with malware – delete them

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UPDATE 8/19/2022 10:30 AM ET: A new report from Bitdefender says there are another 35 malicious apps on the Google Play Store.

The Google Play Store is normally a great, safe place to find new apps to put on your Android devices. Sometimes, malware gets past the check, however.

Now, we’ve got another batch of malicious apps to delete, courtesy of Dr. Web‘s security researchers.

The anti-virus maker found over 30 malware containing Android apps on the Play Store. These range from adware to password stealers, and more. Here’s the full list of malicious apps to watch out for.

List of newly discovered malware on the Google Play Store

Google has already taken most of these apps off the Play Store. That said, you will need to manually delete them off your devices if you were one of the millions of people who had installed one.

This first list had trojans from the Android.HiddenAds family. That’s designed to show ads on your Android devices. It could show full-screen ads, cover other app windows, spam notifications, or even open websites.

Delete these Android apps ASAP

Note that several of these apps have spelling errors in the name. That’s common among malware-containing apps on the Google Play Store. Reputable developers use spellcheck.

Joker malware and Facebook credential stealers

The team at Dr. Web also found some other malware that does more than show you annoying ads.

Three apps were found with the Joker malware, which can download code or subscribe users to premium services: Poco Launcher, 4K Pro Camera, and Heart Emoji Stickers. Delete all three of these, and check the credit cards on your Google Pay account for unknown transactions.

Two apps pretending to be image editing software have been stealing Facebook logins. Those are YouToon – AI Cartoon Effect and Pista – Cartoon Photo Effect. Delete these if installed, and then change your Facebook password. It’s also a good idea to enable two-factor authentication.

Also, delete the following: Water Reminder- Tracker & Reminder, Yoga- For Beginner to Advanced, and Chat Online.

If you want further information about these malware apps found on the Google Play Store, head on over to Dr. Web.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.