Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Anthony Spadafora

Malicious Android apps with 60 million installs bombarding phones with ads and phishing attacks — how to stay safe

Green skull on smartphone screen.

You can never be too careful when downloading new apps to one of the best Android phones. Case in point: Bitdefender has discovered hundreds of malicious apps on the Google Play Store that were used in a massive ad fraud campaign.

While that QR code scanner, wallpaper app or simple game might look harmless at first glance, these types of apps are often used in campaigns like this one. Sure, the app may look and function properly, but behind the scenes it can put your data and privacy at risk or (in this case) spam your device with full-screen ads.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.