Android users have been warned that having certain apps on their phones could put them at risk of their bank accounts being drained.
Experts from the security team at Threat Fabric have identified a new resurgence of a bug that is infecting apps on the Google Play store called the Anatsa banking trojan.
If this is downloaded on to a person's phone, users are at risk of having their banking login details stolen and used to access their online accounts, giving hackers full control to their savings.
Scammers may even be able to transfer money out of these accounts without the person ever knowing about it, which is why people are being urged to take the right precautions and protect themselves by deleting these apps.
The Mirror reports that Anatsa has been around since 2020 but is currently becoming more and more common, affecting Android users in the UK and the USA along with phone owners in Italy, Germany and France.
Threat Fabric says that a total of five new dropper apps have appeared on the Play Store in just four months, and they all seem to be PDF reader software at first glance.
One of these, named PDF Viewer - Reader & Editor, had a total of 10,000 downloads before it was deleted off the platform, which shows how many people may have been at risk.
All of the infected apps have since been removed by Google - but if you've downloaded any PDF software this year, it's worth checking that they are legitimate apps.
Users should also be checking all apps before downloaded them as some that have previously been banned have made their way back on to the Play Store some time later.
A spokesperson from Threat Fabric said: "The latest campaign by Anatsa reveals the evolving threat landscape that banks and financial institutions face in today’s digital world. The recent Google Play Store distribution campaigns targeting US, DACH, and UK regions demonstrate the immense potential for mobile fraud and the need for proactive measures to counter such threats."
Here are the apps that have been banned by Google:
• PDF Reader - Edit & View PDF
• PDF Reader & Editor
• All Document Reader & Editor
• All Document Reader and Viewer
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