Google Play Store Has Over 200 Malicious Apps With 8+ Million Installs

Threat intelligence researchers at Zscaler, a popular cloud security company, have identified more than 200 malicious applications distributed via the Google Play Store over one year, with more than eight million collective installs.

The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2024 Mobile, IoT & OT Threat Report offers an overview of the cyber threat scene for mobile and IoT (Internet of Things) / OT (operational technology) devices from June 2023 to April 2024.

It mentions that the company has observed an increase in financially-motivated mobile attacks, which remain a leading threat vector. It also adds that Zscaler Cloud blocked 45% more IoT malware transactions than last year, which indicates the rise in IoT malware attacks.

Zscaler says that despite an overall decrease in Android attacks, banking malware attacks have increased by 29%, and spyware incidents have risen by 111% year over year, most of which can bypass multifactor authentication (MFA).

It also observed a 12% increase in attempts to deliver malware (payload deliveries) to IoT devices.

“Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting legacy exposed assets which often act as a beachhead to IoT & OT environments, resulting in data breaches and ransomware attacks,” said Deepen Desai, Chief Security Officer at Zscaler, in a blog post published on Tuesday.

“Mobile malware and AI driven vishing attacks adds to that list making it critical for CISOs and CIOs to prioritize an AI powered zero trust solution to shut down attack vectors of all kinds safeguarding against these attacks.”

ThreatLabz discoveredย more than 200 fake apps on the Google Play Store,ย published under the tools, personalization, photography, productivity, and lifestyle categories.

Of these,ย โ€œJokerโ€ accounted for almost two-fifths (38.2%) of harmful appsโ€”the most prominent malware on the platform. This app facilitates Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) fraud that subscribes victims to premium services without their knowledge.

Adware is second, accounting for 35.9% of the malware detected, followed by Facestealer (14.7%), Copper (3.7%), Loanly Installer (2.3%), Harly (1.4%), and Anatsa (0.9%).

For example, Anatsa (or Teapot) is a well-known Android banking malware that spreads through PDF and QR code readers.

It has targeted over 650 financial institutions and specifically affected users in Germany, Spain, Finland, South Korea, and Singapore.

In its report, Zscaler further stated that the manufacturing sector experienced the highest volume of IoT malware blocks (36.9%), followed by transportation (14.2%) and food, beverage, and tobacco (11.1%).

Meanwhile, the technology and education sectors were the most frequent targets of mobile malware.

The report also shows that the United States remains the top target for cybercriminals, accounting for 81% of IoT cyberattacks, followed by Japan, China, Singapore, and Germany.

However, India tops the list as the most targeted country by mobile malware, accounting for 28%, followed by the United States, Canada, South Africa, and The Netherlands.

โ€œOnce air-gapped and isolated from the internet, OT and cyber-physical systems have rapidly become integrated into enterprise networks, enabling threats to proliferate. OT deployments can involve thousands of connected devices spread across dozens of sites, creating a substantial attack surface for external threats, such as those that exploit known zero-day vulnerabilities. Additionally, this also creates a large attack surface between internal (east-west) OT traffic, increasing the risk of lateral movement and the potential blast radius of a successful attack,โ€ Zscaler said in its news release.

To protect and keep your Android device safe from malware on Google Play, it is advisable to avoid downloading apps from third-party marketplaces, read app reviews to see if any issues have been reported, check the application publisher, read app permissions carefully, and install and update security software.

Kavita Iyer
Kavita Iyerhttps://www.techworm.net
An individual, optimist, homemaker, foodie, a die hard cricket fan and most importantly one who believes in Being Human!!!
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