Security News > 2020 > July > Malicious ‘Blur’ Photo App Campaign Discovered on Google Play

A new campaign of malicious photo apps on Google Play floods Android devices with random ads instead of functioning as advertised.

One of the hallmarks of the app is that once it's downloaded, it plays "Hide and seek" with the device, with the icon disappearing from the home screen, forcing users to go into the Settings menu to find the app if they want to see if it's been installed or open it.

Researchers conducted analysis on one of the apps in particular, called Square Photo Blur, finding that its behavior was consistent with all of the malicious apps.

Once fully installed, researchers clicked on the Square Photo Blur app's launcher icon on a test device and found it's basically a "Hollow shell of an app, just enough to just pass the Play Store checks," they said.

They pointed out that reviews can be helpful in avoiding malicious apps like these: "Looking at the comments in the Reviews section for this app reveals negative sentiment against this developer. The reviews suggest the app is barely functional with many reports of OOC ads."

News URL

https://threatpost.com/malicious-photo-app-campaign-google-play/157712/