DOZENS of popular apps on Android have been found to contain a vicious data-stealing virus.
Google has only just taken action on the vast majority, according to Phone Arena, but that doesn’t help the millions who have already downloaded them.
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The list ranges from photo editing apps, to phone theme tools.
All appear innocent and normal on the surface.
But under the bonnet lurks an infamous piece of malware called Joker.
And it’s no laughing matter – Joker is a form of “fleeceware” where the intention is to steal money from the Android user without their knowledge.
It simulates clicks and intercepts text messages.
By doing this, it can subscribe the user to unwanted paid premium services without permission.
It can also click on ads automatically when online and secretly approve online payments.
Most users will not usually notice anything is wrong until they check their bank statements.
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It’s a problem that has haunted Android apps for a while now.
Just last month we heard about it appearing in four apps which had been installed 100,000 times.
Such incidents make it all the more important to have a reliable and trusted antivirus application installed on your phone.
Crucially, if you do find out you’ve got a dodgy app installed on your phone, you should delete it immediately.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
