Published on September 24, 2024
Vincent Paquette
Antivirus company Kaspersky has identified the presence of malware called Necro on Google’s Play Store. This virus is spreading in two legitimate applications, but also in fake applications from WhatsApp, Spotify and Minecraft in particular. More than 11 million Android phones and tablets are said to have been infected.
If you are an Android device owner, you know that you always have to be on your guard when downloading apps.
While the Play Store has tools to identify malicious apps, it’s not uncommon for malware to slip through Google’s cracks.
Another example is the discovery of the Necro malware.
Eleven million devices infected by Necro
It was the antivirus company Kaspersky that identified the presence of Necro in the Play Store catalog.
Necro is a malware that gained particular notoriety in 2019 when it infected more than 100 million Android phones.
Kaspersky says a new version of Necro has managed to infiltrate 11 million Android devices.
What does Necro malware do?
Necro malware is a “loader” type virus, meaning that its purpose is to install other malware on our device.
Necro will notably install malicious adware.
How to get rid of ads that keep popping up on mobile?
He will also try to get us to subscribe, without our knowledge, to fake services and therefore steal our money.
Finally, it can use our phone as proxies. This implies that hackers can use our phone to route malicious traffic.
What apps is Necro in?
In its report, Kaspersky explains that Necro managed to infiltrate two legitimate applications available on the Play Store.
This is the photo editing application Wuta Camera from Benqu and web browser Max Browser from the WA messenger developer.
But these are not the only applications in which Necro has been identified.
Kaspersky explains that the virus is also spreading in fake APK applications outside the Play Store.
The latter is hidden in particular in fake applications of the very popular game Minecraftfrom the chat application WhatsApp and the streaming music app Spotify.
In all three cases, the infected versions are offered on unofficial websites.
Although the Play Store is not perfect, it is still important to download our apps from it rather than through a website.
To overcome the security shortcomings of the Play Store, it is wise to equip yourself with a good mobile antivirus.
These typically cost around $20 a year and will identify, block and remove threats that try to infiltrate our device.
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