It seems that even the apps our children use aren’t immune to malware. Security specialists have uncovered multiple apps in Google’s Play Store that are infected with malware. 56 apps were infected with a virus that farmed ad clicks to earn money, and 24 of those were games that targeted children.
This infestation of malware was uncovered by Check Point Software, a company that specializes in finding solutions related to IT security. According to researchers are the firm, the malware named ‘Tekya’ exploits a function of Android that lets it mimic the user of the device, allowing the hackers to click on ads and banners.
Some of the apps were of the mundane variety, such as calculators and recipe books. The other apps were games for kids - puzzle, racing, etc. The 56 apps that were infected had a total of almost 1 million downloads.
This breach is a sign that, while security measures by Google have been significantly strengthed, there is still a good deal more than could be done to curtail the shenanigans of hackers. Posting in a blog about the progress it’s made in terms of security, Google said that it has removed hundreds of thousands of apps that violated its Play Store policies. And, even more impressive, it prevented a staggering 1.9 billion installations of malware from non-Google Play sources in 2019.
This makes it clear that Google has made it a priority to protect its users and clean its Play Store of apps that target them for malicious purposes.