It’s worth thinking twice before installing apps on our smartphones. Recent reports prove this point. A malicious software family available for download on Google Play Store threatens the wallets of hundreds of thousands of people.

11 different apps threaten Android users’ wallets

Cybersecurity researchers from Kaspersky recently uncovered the malicious Fleckpe. This software was found to be integrated into at least 11 Android apps with a total of approximately 620,000 downloads. These apps, which appear as photo editors, wallpaper, and beauty apps, have their sights set on users’ wallets.

When the app is installed, it has been determined that the malicious software secretly subscribes users to certain premium services. The owners of the malicious software thus fill their pockets by taking a share per person they subscribe. It is also said that these subscription services could be directly owned by these individuals.

Researchers have determined that the malicious software has been active since at least 2022. The amount of money the owners of the malicious software have made with this software has not yet been determined. It has been underlined that the majority of these apps, which have been downloaded from all regions of the world, are used in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Poland.

It is also noted that these apps could steal personal information and have caused a significant increase in some users’ mobile payments. With the report published by Kaspersky, these apps have been removed from Google Play, but it is suspected that there may be other apps with the same malicious software.

The apps identified as malicious:

Beauty Camera Plus (com.beauty.camera.plus.photoeditor)
Beauty Photo Camera (com.apps.camera.photos)
Beauty Slimming Photo Editor (com.beauty.slimming.pro)
Fingertip Graffiti (com.draw.graffiti)
GIF Camera Editor (com.gif.camera.editor)
HD 4K Wallpaper (com.hd.h4ks.wallpaper)
Impressionism Pro Camera (com.impressionism.prozs.app)
Microclip Video Editor (com.microclip.vodeoeditor)
Night Mode Camera Pro (com.urox.opixe.nightcamreapro)
Photo Camera Editor (com.toolbox.photoeditor)
Photo Effect Editor (com.picture.pictureframe)

Recent reports have once again shown the importance of checking the apps you download. Have you downloaded any of these mentioned apps? You can share your experiences in the comments section.