New Android trojan malware spotted, potentially infected over 10 million devices

We often see apps being used to infect Android devices, exposing users to several kinds of scams and stealing their personal data. And it’s happened again, as researchers at Kaspersky claimed to have found Necro Trojan malware on some of the popular Android apps, exposing millions of users to various kinds of threats.

Newly found Necro Trojan Malware performs harmful actions without you knowing

A couple of years ago, Google introduced significant changes to the use of Accessibility APIs to prevent the spreading of malware through apps. Since then, attackers have found countless other ways to infect Android devices using various loopholes. The latest one we’re seeing is a new version of the Necro malware loader, infecting some of the popular apps that you might have installed on your phone.

Some of the popular apps that were found to have included the malware are Benqu’s Wuta Camera, which has over 10 million downloads on the Google Play Store, and the now-removed Max Browser. The browser was also fairly popular with one million Play Store downloads before it was removed (via Bleeping Computer). In addition to these two apps, the new version of the Necro malware has also made its way to modified versions of apps like WhatsApp, Spotify, and Minecraft, which are available outside of the Play Store.

Just like every other malware, Necro Trojan’s main objective is to gain control of your device and perform harmful actions without you knowing. It can run malicious codes on the infected device, facilitate subscription fraud, and install adware, which displays invisible ads on your device to generate revenue for the attacker. All of these will take a toll on the performance of your Android phone.

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What should you do if your Android phone is infected with Necro Trojan?

Google is currently investigating the issue, so we haven’t heard from the company about what users should do if they’re impacted. But in cases like this, the first thing you need to do is uninstall those apps, then scan your device using an antivirus, and change all your important passwords. There is not much you can do other than that. However, to remain protected from these kinds of attacks in the future, you should enable the Play Store’s Play Protect feature, which regularly scans apps on your device and detects harmful behavior.