A warning to Android users about an app whose update damaged 10 million devices

Cyber ​​security experts have warned Android users about a popular app on the Google Play Store that has reportedly affected 10 million devices.

And at the end of last year, cybersecurity experts at MalwareBytes started receiving reports on LAVABIRD LTD’s Barcode Scanner app, which has been downloaded over 10 million times.

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And users who downloaded the app reported that the ads suddenly opened from their Android device’s default browser.

MalwareBytes has received a report that the perpetrator is the Android Barcode Scanner app.

The app was removed from the Google Play Store after MalwareBytes notified LAVABIRD LTD.

It was discovered that the app, which seemed harmless for years, turned into another “full of malware” after the update.

Experts at MalwareBytes revealed the threat in an online post: “In the case of Barcode Scanner, malicious code was added that was not present in previous versions of the app. Additionally, the added code used extreme opacity to avoid detection. “

In their study, MalwareBytes also shared a short video clip showing the suspicious code in action.

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Users are told that the new app update activates unwanted ads in the browser from scratch, and the browser heads to a spam page with an annoying ad trying to trick the target user into downloading an application.

If you have already downloaded Barcode Scanner, MalwareBytes recommends removing the app manually.

Alternatively, if you have a malware scanner on your Android phone, it should be able to detect the threat.

MalwareBytes added, “It’s hard to say how long Barcode Scanner spent in the Google Play Store as a legitimate app before it became malicious. Based on the large number of installs and reviews from users, we think it’s been around for years. It’s scary that with just one update, it could turn out. “Apps are turned into malware when they come under the Google Play Protect radar. An app developer who owns a popular app will turn it into malware. Was that still the master plan? inactive, waiting for a strike after reaching popularity? I guess we won’t know how to start ”.

Source: Express

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