BackThese Android apps may be draining your phone’s battery, remove them immediately
According to a report by Ars Technica, these apps were detected by McAfee. Now removed, the apps were previously listed on Google Play Store as utility apps and provided legitimate functions.
PremiumTechnology giant Google has reportedly removed 16 apps from its play store after receiving a report the apps were causing battery drain and using more data than usual. According to a report by Ars Technica, these apps were detected by McAfee. Now removed, the apps were previously listed on Google Play Store as utility apps and provided legitimate functions, including flashlight, camera, QR reading, and measurement conversions.
Which app has Google removed?
List of apps detected by McAfee include
- BusanBus
- Joycode
- Currency Converter
- High-Speed Camera
- Smart Task Manager
- Flashlight+
- K-Dictionary
- Quick Note
- EzDica
- Instagram Profile Downloader
- Ez Notes
When opened, these apps downloaded additional code on the users’ device, allowing them to perform ad fraud. The infected device then received notifications to open web pages in the background, clicking links and ads without alerting the user.
The security firm said that some of these apps came with an adware code named com.liveposting. This code acts as an agent and runs hidden adware services. While other apps had an additional library called com.click.cas, which focused on the automated clicking functionality. In order to hide their fraudulent behavior, these apps waited about an hour after installation before running the libraries, it said.
“Mainly, it is visiting websites which are delivered by FCM message and browsing them successively in the background while mimicking user’s behavior," McAfee’s SangRyol Ryu writes. “This may cause heavy network traffic and consume power without user awareness during the time it generates profit for the threat actor behind this malware", he adds.
Google has taken down the apps from its Play Store. In a statement to Ars Technica, a Google spokesperson confirmed that all apps reported by McAfee have been removed. “Users are also protected by Google Play Protect, which blocks these apps on Android devices", the spokesperson said.
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