11 Android Apps mottled for secretly garnering users data
The security researchers have spotted 11 Android apps that are collecting sensitive user information from the user’s phone, including phone numbers, used email addresses, and copy-paste data.
According to a recent report of ‘android headlines‘ says that Google has removed all 11 of them from the Play Store on March 25, but they have appeared back again. Google said we are removing them from the Play Store and they will no longer be invasive. They appealed to the app user to check once more if they have uninstalled them or not.
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The Panama-based company called ‘Measurement Systems’ allegedly paid big money for the data garnering via these apps, via third-party SDK that has been integrated into them. However, the company has denied all the allegations, but there are a lot of pieces of evidence that have pointed many fingers at the company.
Here we are talking about each and every piece of information including passwords and precise GPS location history and everything. So be careful do not to download any unwanted, unnecessary third-party applications from the store.
The malicious applications are listed below:
- Speed Camera Radar
- Al-Moazin Lite (Prayer Times)
- Wi-Fi Mouse (remote control PC)
- QR & Barcode Scanner (developed by AppSource Hub)
- Qibla Compass – Ramadan 2022
- Simple weather & clock widget (developed by Difer)
- Handcent Next SMS-Text with MMS
- Smart Kit 360
- Al Quran MP3 – 50 Reciters & Translation Audio
- Full Quran MP3 – 50+ Language & Translation Audio
- Audiosdroid Audio Studio DAW
We have provided this application list so you can spot them easily. Beware these malicious apps have managed to access the data of about 60 million people.
However, According to sources, The Wall Street Journal says that the Company is in ties with a defense contractor in Virginia called Vostrom Holdings which does the cyber intelligence work for US government agencies.
Measurement System told app-makers that it wanted data primarily from the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. Reports said the journal has cited the data from the company.