New research by Trend Micro has shown several beauty camera apps (detected as AndroidOS_BadCamera.HRX) on Google Play that were capable of accessing remote ad configuration servers that were then be used for malicious purposes. Some of these have already been downloaded millions of times. A large number of the download counts originated from Asia — particularly in India, said the report.
At the time of the writing of the report on the Trend Micro Security Intelligence blog, Google had taken down most of them.
Trend Micro has issued a warning that users must always investigate the legitimacy of an app. One way was to check reviews from other users. If the reviews mention any kind of suspicious behavior, then it might be a good idea to refrain from downloading the app.
For the entire report, click here.
