500,000 People Downloaded Malicious QR Code Apps From Google Play

In response to the news that researchers have found that cybercriminals have distributed malware to hundreds of thousands of Android users by hiding it inside a series of apparently harmless apps on Google Play, Ondrej Kubovic, Security Awareness Specialist at ESET commented below.

Ondrej Kubovic, Security Awareness Specialist at ESET:

“The relatively large number of installs could be caused with the promised functionality, as QR scanners are popular and frequently used apps. The delayed activation of malicious activity could have also contributed to attackers’ ability to sneak their “product” into the official Google Play store.

What to do? First, users should remove the infected apps from their device. Users are also recommended to install a reliable security software, scan their device and remove any remaining malicious code. To keep their Android device protected in the future, we would also recommend them to keep the device’s operating system and apps up-to-date and also read reviews before installing a new app (mostly the negative ones, as the positive ones might be fabricated by the attacker).”