Millions of Android users need to check their phones again for more than ten dangerous apps that have been banned from the Google Play Store. Over 20 million Android users downloaded 16 apps from the Google Play Store that secretly hid malware. The popular apps—one of which was downloaded more than 10 million times alone—were loaded with a new series of malware called Clicker, which is used by online scammers to generate illegal ad revenue. Security experts at McAfee discovered this new threat and reported their findings to Google, leading to the removal of the apps from the Play Store.
However, if you downloaded any of these apps before they were removed by Google, they will still be present on your Android device. This means it is essential for any affected user to delete these dangerous Android apps immediately. Those who do not follow this advice may see their device resources deplete as the malware runs in the background. This can lead to performance drops, faster battery drain, overheating, and excessive monthly mobile data consumption.
Discussing the new Android threat, McAfee stated in a blog post: "The McAfee Mobile Research team recently identified the new Clicker malware that infiltrated Google Play. A total of 16 previously verified apps on Google Play were found to contain malicious payloads with 20 million assumed installations. McAfee security researchers informed Google, and all identified apps are no longer available on Google Play. Users are also protected by Google Play Protect."
The most common apps containing the harmful Clicker malware were High-Speed Camera (over 10 million downloads), Smart Task Manager/DxClean (over five million installs), and Flashlight + (over a million users). Anyone who downloaded the DxClean app may face an especially unpleasant surprise, as the app claimed to help improve phone performance and stop annoying ad issues—but it did the exact opposite.
