But now, most Android devices come pre-installed with Google Play app. At the time, it was difficult to find a Google Play Store apk file. When it was first released, you’d have wondered, ‘how do I download the Play Store?’. Using your Google account, you can even sync data between your browser and the Play Store. Moreover, it allows you to install applications remotely to your smartphone from a popular web browser on Windows or Mac. While using Google Play, you can set up wish lists of content and apps you’d like to download at any time. Just like the App Store on iOS, Google Play is the central hub for all things Android, including millions of apps for your smartphone. Organizations should automate mobile detection and response by vetting apps and determining if they comply with their security policies.Over the years, Google Play has evolved into a one-stop platform for downloading apps and other content, including Google Play Books, Google Play Music, and Google Play Movies & TV. Also, don’t forget to go through their reviews, if there are any, to detect foul play. How to Stay Safe?Īlthough Google has removed these apps, if you have downloaded and installed them from a third-party store, delete them immediately and never download apps without any reviews, despite having a large user base. Also, these apps aren’t visible on the home screen, and their icon remains hidden to prevent uninstallation. So, they can continue their malicious operations even if the app isn’t in use. Researchers believe that the hacker must have used mobile device emulators or installed farms to show huge numbers and improve the apps’ ranking on the store.Īnother tactic is minimal user interaction since the apps can launch automatically when the system starts. For instance, spyware shows a large user base but doesn’t feature any reviews. The hacker has used various techniques to make these apps appear legitimate.

Device’s contact lists (all linked accounts, email and social networks).

The spyware apps collected the following data: Research revealed that the apps collected highly personal data from their targets and transferred it to over one hundred different destinations, all of which were in China and were malicious. The app profiles on the Google Play Store state that they don’t collect any data from the device, but according to Pradeo’s blog post, these are false claims.

Malicious apps (Pradeo) What Data Did These Apps Collect?

Google play store app download