How To Secure Your Android Device From Adware

The potential threat of third party apps on your phone has been sufficiently underlined, but it turns out that apps downloaded from even the Google Play Store for your Android device may infect your phone. Security researchers have uncovered various apps available on the Play Store for varying lengths that had malicious adware code built into them. Estimates are now showing that the adware may have affected anywhere between 5 and 18 million users, although we know now which of the apps to uninstall and avoid. There is a curious marker for all of them – they all seem to bear the name Judy in some way or the other.

how to secure android from adware, secure from adware

 

This adware slipped onto the Play Store via a single update looks like plain profit driven malware. The Korean developer Kiniwini is at the centre of the scandal, with 41 of their apps seemingly updated with adware code. The apps are available on the Play Store under the ENISTUDIO corp brand. At this point, we can not say if the company slipped in the code deliberately, or it was an individual act. The apps have been available on the store for quite a long time, and it seems that they have been infected only recently, and almost simultaneously. The oldest update was made back in April 2016, highlighting how little we know of the range and duration of the attack.

 

The security researchers were also able to identify other third-party apps that had malicious adware, increasing the potential of risk exposure to as high as 36 million users. The Judy apps have now been banned from the Playstore, and here is a list of the apps so you can get rid of them as soon as you can if you have installed any of these for your phone.

 

Fashion Judy: Snow Queen style

Animal Judy: Persian cat care

Fashion Judy: Pretty rapper

Fashion Judy: Teacher style

Animal Judy: Dragon care

Chef Judy: Halloween Cookies

Fashion Judy: Wedding Party

Animal Judy: Teddy Bear care

Fashion Judy: Bunny Girl Style

Fashion Judy: Frozen Princess

Chef Judy: Triangular Kimbap

Chef Judy: Udong Maker – Cook

Fashion Judy: Uniform style

Animal Judy: Rabbit care

Fashion Judy: Vampire style

Animal Judy: Nine-Tailed Fox

Chef Judy: Jelly Maker – Cook

Chef Judy: Chicken Maker

Animal Judy: Sea otter care

Animal Judy: Elephant care

Judy’s Happy House

Chef Judy: Hotdog Maker – Cook

Chef Judy: Birthday Food Maker

Fashion Judy: Wedding day

Fashion Judy: Waitress style

Chef Judy: Character Lunch

Chef Judy: Picnic Lunch Maker

Animal Judy: Rudolph care

Judy’s Hospital:pediatrics

Fashion Judy: Country style

Animal Judy: Feral Cat care

Fashion Judy: Twice Style

Fashion Judy: Myth Style

Animal Judy: Fennec Fox care

Animal Judy: Dog care

Fashion Judy: Couple Style

Animal Judy: Cat care

Fashion Judy: Halloween style

Fashion Judy: EXO Style

Chef Judy: Dalgona Maker

Chef Judy: ServiceStation Food

Judy’s Spa Salon

커플디데이 (커플기념일, 위젯)

Dog Music (Relax)

카카오톡 대화분석기

황금기 알리미 (여성달력)

100억 가계부

KatocPic(카톡픽) – 카톡프로필

필수추천 무료어플 77

Spring-It’s stylish, it’s sexy

Crafting Guide for Minecraft

 

Now, now, we all know that Google has secured the Play store and nothing goes beyond the Bouncers (Google’s protection mechanism), but these apps have, and that is a huge security threat. These infected apps are adware, which simply load and click visible and hidden ad banners, giving those ad banners higher clicks, and you a headache. Now these heightened clicks and impressions on the banners obviously help the author of the Adware sell these malicious apps illegitimately on higher rates. What is more, the app which is infected, could have been useful to you in the first place, but now is just finishing off your device’s efficiency and mobile data, making it unusable.

 

Now one might ask why exactly are these apps not reported or have such strong ratings still on Play Store. This can simply be attributed to the skills of those who created them. Many times, users are manipulated in giving them five-star ratings or even forced to be able to continue using them. Such spontaneous attacks usually go undetected in the world of Android phones and tablets, even anti-malware apps are only able to advise against installing an app. Prevention from installing an app is not possible as that involves high level accessibility rights. The only real protection in this scenario is keeping the system updated, which also happens to be quite infrequent.

Add Comment