Software Reaching Huge Number of Downloads Via the Google Play Store Can Steal Passwords Using Malware

There are so many apps out there that are capable of using malware to steal passwords, and it’s time to learn about another one. According to ZDnet.com, an app that was downloaded from the Google Play Store 100,000 times is infected with malware. But not just any type of malware! We’re speaking about the Facestealer trojan malware that’s capable of stealing the Facebook credentials from the phone where it gets installed.

The malware is so cunning that it tricks its victims into believing that they’re dealing with a real Facebook login page when in reality, it’s nothing more than a fake surrogate. Thus, the attacker will get his hands on the credentials. Researchers from Pradeo, a mobile security firm from France, are the ones who unpuzzled the dirty onset of the hackers. Once gaining access to a person’s Facebook account, the hackers can also steal any payment info that was connected.

Google removed the ‘Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools’ app from the Play Store

Google didn’t hesitate to remove Craftsart Cartoon Photo Tools’, meaning the app carrying the malware, after finding out about its evil schemes. As its name suggests, the app was apparently made for the purpose of transforming photos stored in a device into cartoons.

Pradeo researchers explained the following about the app through their blog:

The abovementioned mobile application is distributed on Google play and third-party application stores. To reach a large public and conceal its illegal activities, it mimics the behaviors of popular legitimate photo editing applications. In fact, it has been injected with a small piece of code that easily slips under the radar of store’s safeguards.

One sad aspect of the internet is that malware can be pretty much everywhere. That’s why you should always be careful with what you choose to install on your device. Those times are over when online viruses were considered effective almost only for the big screens (aka laptops and desktop computers).