Android Malware News 2017: Judy Malware Infects 50 Apps on Google Play Store
Around 50 apps in Google's Play Store and 36 million Android devices were recently infected with a new ad-click malware known as Judy.
According to researchers at Check Point, the malware works through codes that bring affected devices to a malicious webpage. The creators of the malware generate money based on the clicks made by the Android users on the adverts of the said webpage.
As of this writing, Play Store has already gotten rid of the infected apps. Check Point also reported that the malware was able to bypass the Bouncer system that Google used, and that allowed its designers to generate ad revenue underhandedly.
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"The malware uses infected devices to generate large amounts of fraudulent clicks on advertisements, generating revenues for the perpetrators behind it," read the security report by Check Point. Many of these adverts also did not close unless the users gave in and clicked on them.
Most of the infected apps were reportedly made by South Korean developer Kiniwini and have been available for download on the Play Store for years. However, it is still unknown if the malware had long been present in those apps or was only added to the Play Store recently via a software update.
Apps from other developers aside from Kiniwini were also infected by the malware, and these included games that were downloaded throughout the time that the malware was present at the Google Play Store.
According to Check Point, "It is possible that one borrowed code from the other, knowingly or unknowingly."
It also said that all the Judy games already got their updates March of this year, while the oldest of the apps that came from other developers got theirs in April of 2016. That means that the malicious code was able to conceal itself on the Play Store for the longest time without being detected.
