Shocking! Google Play Store has FAKE antivirus apps! Did you download? Delete now

Dangerous SharkBot malware has returned to the Google Play Store in the form of fake antivirus apps and cleaner apps. The malware is reportedly stealing users’ banking data. These dangerous apps includes Mister Phone Cleaner and Kylhavy Mobile Security and the bad news is these apps already have over 60,000 installations. According to NCC Group’s Fox-IT, the malware is designed to target users in Spain, Australia, Poland, Germany, the US, and Austria. They said that these apps don’t even need Accessibility permissions to automatically perform the installation of the dropper Sharkbot malware, instead, they just ask the victim to install the malware as a fake update for the antivirus apps.

Fox-IT’s Alberto Segura said: “This new version asks the victim to install the malware as a fake update for the antivirus to stay protected against threats. We have found two SharkbotDopper apps active in Google Play Store, with 10K and 50K installs each of them. The malware can reportedly steal logging keystrokes, intercept SMS messages and carry out fraudulent fund transfers using the Automated Transfer System (ATS). Fox-IT’s Threat Intelligence team detected a new Sharkbot sample with version 2.25 on August 22, 2022.

The new Sharkbot version has a new feature that steals session cookies from the victims that logs into their bank account. Though Google has banned these apps, anyone who has already downloaded, must delete them immediately. Also, check your bank account for any strange transactions.

What is SharkBot Malware?

SharkBot is a banking trojan first discovered in 2018. The malicious app was targeting crypto apps, with a specific focus on exchanges and trading services. The malware is capable of stealing the victim’s login information, allowing the hackers to use their account for malicious activities. SharkBot has since evolved and uses advanced techniques to bypass detection making it more dangerous than before.