With privacy and cyber-attacks becoming the center of the conversation, many companies, app developers, websites, and even governments are taking measures to protect themselves and their citizens from losing their data to hackers.
Android App With 10 Million Plus Downloads Found To Have Malware:
An android app with over 10 million-plus downloads named Barcode Scanner made by the developer, Lavabird, was malicious. The app was intended for smartphone users to scan barcodes with their smartphones and find information embedded in them.
The app was legitimate initially; however, several users reported ads being popped up out of nowhere around late December. Researchers and experts found that the update released on the Playstore in December 2020 had a code that included malware that infected the app users.
Google Play has been vigilant and has been scrutinizing its apps in the past; however, this app managed to get through the barrage of updates and infiltrate millions of android users’ phones.
Even though Google has removed the application from its Google Play App Store, the company is yet to use its Google Play Protect tool, a feature that enables the company to remove the app from the phones. The users will have to delete the app themselves manually.
The following details will help you identify if this app is installed on your phone as many people are mistaking the app with other applications on Google Play Store.
MD5 hash digest: A922F91BAF324FA07B3C40846EBBFE30
Package name: com.qrcodescanner.barcodescanner
Security Precautions And Measures You Should Take To Be Vigilant:
Experts advise that smartphone users should be vigilant of the app they are installing on their phones and read the terms and conditions. It is also recommended to read the app’s permissions and its accessibility to your personal data.
The incident with Barcode Scanner is quite different from conventional cases. All these precautions would go into vain as the app itself was well-reputed, had good reviews, and was downloaded by millions of people who had a great experience with the application.
This Is Not The First Time Something Like This Has Occurred With Android
Last year it was reported that malware was able to steal data from banking apps of Android phones. In 2019, another malware was found to be affecting the military and government officials of Pakistan, and earlier that year, 25 million Android phones were compromised in a totally unrelated incident via WhatsApp.
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