Security News > 2023 > December > New Xamalicious Android malware installed 330k times on Google Play
A previously unknown Android backdoor named 'Xamalicious' has infected approximately 338,300 devices via malicious apps on Google Play, Android's official app store.
Even though the apps have since been removed from Google Play, users who installed them since mid-2020 might still carry active Xamalicious infections on their phones, requiring manual scans and cleanup.
GetURL: Requests the second-stage payload from the C2 server by providing the Android ID and receives the status and potentially an encrypted assembly DLL. McAfee has also found links between Xamalicious and an ad-fraud app called 'Cash Magnet,' which automatically clicks ads and installs adware on the victim's device to generate revenue for its operators.
Although Google Play isn't immune to malware uploads, initiatives like the App Defense Alliance aim to detect and remove novel threats that appear on the app store, which isn't the case on unofficial and poorly moderated platforms.
Google Play adds security audit badges for Android VPN apps.
Avast confirms it tagged Google app as malware on Android phones.
News URL
Related news
- SpyLend Android malware downloaded 100,000 times from Google Play (source)
- New North Korean Android spyware slips onto Google Play (source)
- Malicious Android 'Vapor' apps on Google Play installed 60 million times (source)
- Vo1d malware botnet grows to 1.6 million Android TVs worldwide (source)
- Google's March 2025 Android Security Update Fixes Two Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities (source)
- How Google tracks Android device users before they've even opened an app (source)
- Google fixes Android zero-day exploited by Serbian authorities (source)
- Google expands Android AI scam detection to more Pixel devices (source)
- Google Rolls Out AI Scam Detection for Android to Combat Conversational Fraud (source)
- BadBox malware disrupted on 500K infected Android devices (source)