On Tuesday, November 8, Nigeria’s digital communications regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), alerted the country about harmful and malicious mobile apps on the Google Play store.
The mobile apps belong to an Android Apps developing firm named Mobile Apps Group, according to the NCC’s Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT).
The NCC warned that the apps published on the Google Play store by the firm contain Trojans and adware that are harmful to users and their privacy.
It was reported that the firm has a history of distributing malware-infected apps through the Google Play store.
Its current batch of apps has already been downloaded over a million times.
Mobile apps group: List of apps Nigerians should avoid downloading and installing
1. Bluetooth Auto Connect
2. Bluetooth App Sender
3. Driver: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB
4. Mobile transfer: smart switch.
What will happen if you download the apps: How they perpetrate malicious practices
The NCC said upon downloading, the apps will delay the display of ads for up to three days after installation to avoid detection.
However, once this period has passed, the user is bombarded with advertisements and is directed to malicious phishing websites in the Chrome browser.
When a user is not operating his/her phone, the apps can open Chrome tabs in the background and open some pages without the user knowing.
“Some of the sites it opens may appear to be harmless, but they are pay-per-click pages that generate revenue for the developers when clicked on,” the NCC warned.
Anyone who downloads the app risks the following:
Bad phone user experience due to bombardments of adverts
Theft of sensitive user data
User privacy breach
Meanwhile, anyone who clicks on the ads being shown by the apps also risks downloading or installing other dangerous malware.
What you should do if you have already downloaded the listed apps
Anyone who has downloaded the apps is advised to immediately uninstall them/
After that, the users should also install up-to-date authentic anti-malware app to detect and remove malware on their phones.
