Spy apps found on Android smartphones

Security experts found virus apps on Google Play linked to Chinese hackers. This is reported by TechRadar.

According to experts, both programs were disguised as applications for managing files on the device. A spy service called File Recovery & Data Recovery has received more than a million downloads, and File Manager has about 500,000 installations. Experts found that applications from Google Play collected and sent sensitive user data to unknown organizations in China.

Analyzing virus programs with 1.5 million downloads, the authors of the report noted that such applications often abuse the rights that ask to give them to the owners of Android devices. As a rule, programs request data from the contact book, images, audio and video, the user’s location in real time, the network code of the device, the brand and model of the smartphone.

In conclusion, experts noted that applications from foreign developers can harm users and the country’s national security. “Laws and regulations have never stopped cybercriminals,” summed up the experts.

At the beginning of July, Kaspersky Lab experts reported on the appearance of the dangerous Rasket Trojan. The report states that when activated on a device, the malware gains access to photos, videos, and documents, as well as messages and contacts.