If it’s true that Google Play tries to stem the malware phenomenon in every way, cybercriminals often manage to circumvent these limitations, creating real disasters.
The fearsome falls into this category SpyLoanmalware Android which, according to estimates, would have been dumped more than 12 million of times from the official Google store. However, this number could be even higher, given that the malicious agent has also been spread externally, through malicious platforms and websites.
SpyLoan acts like a classic spywarestealing various personal data from the victims, come on call logs to calendar eventsuntil to Photo and information on expect Wi-Fi memorized. The apps involved present themselves, in most cases, as legitimate financial services.
Since the start of the year ESETa cyber security company member ofApp Defense Alliancehe discovered well 18 app which served as a carrier for SpyLoan.
SpyLoan, the surge in infections in 2023 and its “infiltration” on Google Play
On the other hand, SpyLoan is certainly not a new name for those involved in cybersecurity.
Apps carrying this spyware were identified for the first time in 2020, although only last year did they record truly worrying numbers. One of the features of the malware is the fact that it is capable of acting on both Android and iOS.
During 2023, then, the numbers recorded grew dramatically, with many cases in Asia (India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore) as well as in Africa (Nigeria, Egypt and Kenya) and Latin America (Mexico , Colombia and Peru).
The cybercriminals behind this operation act in a very clever way to “infiltrate” Google Play. The apps in question, in fact, are included on the store, proving to respect the standards Know Your Customer (KYC). Only once approved, these prove to be dangerous software for users.
In addition to using a antivirus adequate, users are advised to be extremely cautious when about to download a new app, even from reliable sources. Keep track of i privileges requiredin this sense, could be an important clue to realize in time the danger of the software you are about to install.