Android User Warning: Here Are 24 ‘Dangerous’ Apps With A Dark Secret—And 382 Million Installs

guest · Feb 3, 2020

Android User Warning: Here Are 24 ‘Dangerous’ Apps With A Dark Secret—And 382 Million Installs
February 3, 2020
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdof...illion-installs/?ss=consumertech#55c3f76974b7

Hidden within the all too frequent reports of malware-laced apps and adware lurking on Google’s Play Store, there is an ominous theme—networks of Chinese developers sharing code, resources and know-how.
And it’s this that’s behind the latest warning from VPNpro in a new report claiming that a large, government-linked Chinese company is “secretly behind 24 popular apps seeking dangerous permissions.”

And so the team says it decided to investigate, finding links to a Chinese company called Shenzhen HAWK that is “secretly” behind Hi Security as well as four other app developers.

In combination, those five developers are responsible for 24 apps which have accumulated more than 382 million installs from the Play Store. “Some of those apps,” VPNpro says, “are known for containing malware and rogueware.”
Click to expand...

Shenzhen HAWK is a subsidiary of TCL Corporation [...] ZDNet reported that TCL was responsible for the malware-laced Weather Forecast app [...]
Virus Cleaner, another of the Hi Security apps, was the subject of an Indian government warning in 2017, identified as hiding “spyware or other malware.”

Please give due care and attention to the apps from unknown developers that you allow onto your devices.
Needless to say, if you have any of those 24 apps installed on your phones you should delete them and all of their data right away.
Click to expand...

VPNpro: This Chinese company is secretly behind 24 popular apps seeking dangerous permissions

Log in or Sign up

Android User Warning: Here Are 24 ‘Dangerous’ Apps With A Dark Secret—And 382 Million Installs

guest Guest

Log in or Sign up

Android User Warning: Here Are 24 ‘Dangerous’ Apps With A Dark Secret—And 382 Million Installs

guest Guest

Useful Searches