Security News > 2023 > December > SpyLoan Android malware on Google Play downloaded 12 million times
More than a dozen malicious loan apps, which are generically named SpyLoan, have been downloaded more than 12 million times this year from Google Play but the count is much larger since they are also available on third-party stores and suspicious websites.
Since the start of the year, cybersecurity company ESET, a member of the App Defense Alliance dedicated to detecting and eradicating malware from Google Play, has discovered 18 SpyLoan apps.
Google reacted to ESET's reporting and removed 17 of the malicious apps, while one of them is now available with a different set of permissions and functionality and is no longer detected as a SpyLoan threat.
To defend against the SpyLoan threat, only trust established financial institutions, carefully review the requested permissions upon installing a new app, and read user reviews on Google Play, which often contain clues about the fraudulent nature of the app.
Google Play adds security audit badges for Android VPN apps.
Avast confirms it tagged Google app as malware on Android phones.
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