Millions Of Android Devices Infected With A New Strain Of Malware

A new strain of Android malware, that has managed to find its way onto millions of devices, has recently been exposed. Despite the fact that Android has improved considerably over the past couple of years as a platform, the issue of malware lingers over the entire Google-made ecosystem as constant black cloud. With Android being of an open-source nature, malicious apps find it considerably easier to operate and thrive on the devices running Google’s mobile OS.

The latest reports reveal that this particular strain of malware, aptly named “BadNews”, has been concealed within 32 different apps coming from four different developer accounts. The figures from Google Play suggest that the total number of downloads to be anywhere from two million all the way up to nine million. Thus being a small portion of the total Android user base, the malware is still a major cause for concern.

“BadNews” sends users fake alerts which point to other dodgy apps, some of which will secretly sign them up to premium SMS services. Moreover, the IMEI number of the infected device is sent back to the servers run by the dishonest individuals behind it.

Reports claim that Google has already scrambled to clear the 32 infected apps, while it still stays doubtful whether Google plans to further invest resources into stopping these kinds of apps from making it to devices in the first place.