this is from Feb.5 but about now is the time some people may be seeing the outcome.
It's malware found in certain APPS, and according to the report, it takes about a month to become active/or go into 'sinister mode'.
The 3 Apps were a card game Durak, an IQTest App and a Russian history App (all Russian Apps).
C/P from Feb. 5/2015
theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/android-malware-removed-from-google-play-after-millions-of-downloads/story-fnay3ubk-1227208578563
SECURITY -software maker Avast has called out a trio of malicious Android apps that were, until recently, available in the Google Play app store.
The apps would go into sinister mode after 30 days on a device, and begin spamming users with advertisements, Avast said in a company blog post. Google told the Journal that, as of now, the infected apps have been pulled from Google Play.
Avast said that the infected apps — the “Durak” card game, an “IQ Test” and a Russian history app — were distributed widely, with “Durak” being downloaded between 5 and 10 million times. Google removed the apps after Avast made the malware public.
For those who had the apps installed on their phones for more than 30 days, a threatening ad would pop up each time they unlocked their phone, saying the device was out of memory, experiencing a security hole or some other false claim, Avast said.
The pop-ups would then route people to websites where more malware could be installed on devices, said the security company. Anyone with either of the known apps installed should delete them immediately.
While the three malicious apps weren’t caught initially by Google, a spokeswoman for the search and mobile giant told the Journal that the company is always working to improve its process of vetting apps submitted to its app store.
“We scan apps as they are uploaded to Google Play, running each app to detect and remove malware, spyware and Trojans from Google Play,” she said in a statement.
“As we discover new pieces of malware, our systems are able to go back through all of Google Play and remove any suspicious files from the store.”
Google can also disable developer apps and accounts if they violate the company’s terms and content policies, the spokeswoman said.
“Our goal is to provide people with an extra layer of protection while still maintaining Android’s openness and developers’ workflow.” She did not say whether any developer accounts had been disabled as a result of this particular infraction.
It's malware found in certain APPS, and according to the report, it takes about a month to become active/or go into 'sinister mode'.
The 3 Apps were a card game Durak, an IQTest App and a Russian history App (all Russian Apps).
C/P from Feb. 5/2015
theaustralian.com.au/business/wall-street-journal/android-malware-removed-from-google-play-after-millions-of-downloads/story-fnay3ubk-1227208578563
SECURITY -software maker Avast has called out a trio of malicious Android apps that were, until recently, available in the Google Play app store.
The apps would go into sinister mode after 30 days on a device, and begin spamming users with advertisements, Avast said in a company blog post. Google told the Journal that, as of now, the infected apps have been pulled from Google Play.
Avast said that the infected apps — the “Durak” card game, an “IQ Test” and a Russian history app — were distributed widely, with “Durak” being downloaded between 5 and 10 million times. Google removed the apps after Avast made the malware public.
For those who had the apps installed on their phones for more than 30 days, a threatening ad would pop up each time they unlocked their phone, saying the device was out of memory, experiencing a security hole or some other false claim, Avast said.
The pop-ups would then route people to websites where more malware could be installed on devices, said the security company. Anyone with either of the known apps installed should delete them immediately.
While the three malicious apps weren’t caught initially by Google, a spokeswoman for the search and mobile giant told the Journal that the company is always working to improve its process of vetting apps submitted to its app store.
“We scan apps as they are uploaded to Google Play, running each app to detect and remove malware, spyware and Trojans from Google Play,” she said in a statement.
“As we discover new pieces of malware, our systems are able to go back through all of Google Play and remove any suspicious files from the store.”
Google can also disable developer apps and accounts if they violate the company’s terms and content policies, the spokeswoman said.
“Our goal is to provide people with an extra layer of protection while still maintaining Android’s openness and developers’ workflow.” She did not say whether any developer accounts had been disabled as a result of this particular infraction.
