Android WARNING: These fake Google Play Store apps could STEAL your passwords

Android fans are warned of fraudulent Google Play Store apps that could steal users' sensitive passwords.

The malware on Android apps is designed to steal crucial login information for banking applications, wallets and payments.

Bank Trojans were found on Google Play Store apps that claimed to offer services such as online shopping and stock market surveillance.

The Android malware campaign was discovered by security researchers at IBM X-Force. the threat of Anubis

This is named after the ancient Egyptian god of the dead.

The Android malware campaign needed a "big investment of resources on the part of the campaign operator," according to the researchers. 19659002] In an online article describing the threat, IBM X-Force said: "With 10 downloaders at this point, the campaign seems to be scaled."

"Over time, we've seen the code evolve, and between downloader versions, developers have added a simple obfuscation and expanded the downloader's capabilities."

"The code has also been slightly modified to avoid detection by the Google Play security controls. "According to X-Force's analysis, these changes suggest that the application's downloader is maintained on an ongoing basis – another sign that it's happening. is a commodity offered to cybercriminals or to a specific group that focuses on the fraud of mobile banking users. "

IBM X-Force said the Anubis campaign was targeting

But they have also said "with different botnets and configurations, BankBot Anubis also targets users" in other countries.

These countries include the United Kingdom, the USA, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand and China.

Turkish applications identified by IBM X-Force as malware downloaders included Canli Borsa and Sahibinden

IBM X-Force added: "To maximize the results of infection campaigns, mobile malware operators consider the official application stores as the Holy Grail.

"Getting a malicious application in an official store increases exposure to more potential victims, a cheap distribution channel and a trust of users. In addition, malicious applications that have already entered an official store are more likely to fly under the radar for longer security checks than those hosted on hacked sites or hacked sites.

"IBM X-Force reports malicious applications to the manager "

" X-Force researchers suspect that anti-cybercrime services iminality that propagate mobile trojans have mastered it as a campaign channel against malware and could perhaps monetize it

are rather popular with PC malware distributors, its rise in the field Mobile malware is a growing risk factor that users and organizations need to be aware of.

IBM X-Force in an online post also gave smartphone users tips on how to stay safe against mobile malware

Among the tips were:

• Put update the operating system of your phone as soon as a new update is available Remove the applications you no longer use and always update them

• Install an application security on your device.