There's another urgent Android warning that's just been announced with Google purging 38 apps from its Play Store. It's not unusual for the US technology firm to block applications that don't meet its strict requirements but what makes this latest news so serious is the amount of times the apps were downloaded before the block was put in place.
Security experts at McAfee's Mobile Research Team say they discovered 38 dodgy apps on the Play Store that had been downloaded a total of over 34 million times.
All were copycats of the phenomenally popular Minecraft game but instead of giving users hours of brick-building enjoyment, they were stealthily loading adware in the background instead.
This type of attack can generate huge sums of cash for cyber crooks with smartphone owners, unlucky enough to install the bug, never knowing that their device is being slowed down by adverts hidden in the background.
"Minecraft’s popularity has led to many attempts to recreate similar games," explained McAfee's Dexter Shin. "As a result, there are so many games with the same concept as Minecraft worldwide. Even on Google Play, we can easily search for similar games. McAfee Mobile Research Team recently discovered 38 games with hidden advertising. These HiddenAds applications discovered on the Google Play Store and installed by at least 35 million users worldwide, have been found to send packets stealthily for advertising revenue in bulk."
Here are five of the most popular apps that are affected - if you have any on your device it's a good idea to delete them without delay.
Block Box Master Diamond • Downloaded 10 million times
Craft Sword Mini Fun • Downloaded 5 million times
Block Box Skyland Sword – Downloaded 5 million times
Craft Monster Crazy Sword – Downloaded 5 million times
Block Pro Forrest Diamond – Downloaded 1 million times
The full list of banned applications can be found here.
McAfee says it's vital that all Android users check reviews before downloading and installing any new apps onto their phones.
Also, if the performance of the phone begins to suffer after a new download this could be an indication that something is going on behind the scenes and it might be worth checking what has just been installed.
News of this latest block comes just weeks after Google banned another 36 applications from the Play Store.
That attack also installed adware along with malware that could allow hackers to see data such as Wi-Fi history, what Bluetooth devices are connected to a phone, which apps are being used and even look at nearby GPS locations.
