Google Bans 2 Joker Malware Smart TV Apps From Play Store; Delete now

Google bans malicious apps from its Google Play Store every time it finds them there or gets to know them when the security companies point it out. This type of action goes a long way toward protecting users from Internet scams. In the latest such case, the company has banned two new smart TV-based apps from the Google Play Store. These two applications are "Smart TV Remote" and "Halloween Coloring". Of these, the first has been downloaded at least 1,000 times. The information is courtesy of Kaspersky security analyst Tatyana Shishkova, who on Twitter disclosed the names of two malicious apps on the Google Play Store. Shishkova says that these apps come bundled with Joker Trojan malware.

In particular, the Joker malware has been known to subscribe users to premium content without their knowledge. Earlier this year, more than 500,000 Huawei devices were found to be infected with the Joker malware. Bleeping Computer also analyzed the code of these malicious applications, ie "Smart TV Remote" and "Halloween Coloring" and found that it exists in the file "resources/assets /kup3x4nowz" within the Smart TV Remote application. Also, there is a similar file called "q7y4prmugi" in the same location in the Halloween Coloring application.

What makes these applications, rather than the malicious code in these applications, undetectable is the fact that these yr41ajkdp5 and vl39sbv02d files are "XOR-encrypted". This encryption makes them undetectable by any of the popular antivirus applications. Upon further analyzing these apps, the post found that both the 'Smart TV Remote' and 'Halloween Coloring' apps are downloading malicious apps onto users' Android smartphones. Confirming its analysis, the publication reported these applications to Google, which then removed them from its Play Store.

Check your mobile for apps that you have not downloaded. If you find any of them, uninstall them as they probably have been infected with malicious malware.