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CHICAGO (WLS) — The I-Team is issuing a warning about certain apps that might deplete your phone’s battery or jeopardize your personal data.
Recent research in cybersecurity has revealed that some applications are responsible for creating fraudulent ad views and causing mobile devices to slow down.
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These apps can appear harmless, presenting themselves as tools like emoji creators, QR code scanners, or storage cleaners.
However, cybersecurity experts caution that the latest findings serve as a crucial reminder for smartphone users to exercise caution before downloading any apps.
According to Check Point, a cybersecurity firm, 15 questionable apps have been identified on Google Play. Although these apps seemed legitimate, they secretly generated fake ad views to earn money, without the ads ever being visible to users.
“Hidden adware that was disguised as very simple utility apps, specifically on the Android mobile operating system: make your own emoji apps, free up storage,” said Tony Sabaj, with Check Point.
Check Point says those apps racked up millions of downloads, mostly to people in parts of Asia. But experts say this is a reminder to all smartphone users because suspicious apps like this can create chaos on your phone.
“A slowdown in the performance of their phone, massive battery drain and had the potential to get access, to get information on the phone itself,” Sabaj said.
That’s because on almost any app you download, you might be giving permission to the app to access much of your phone’s information.
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“These apps have been removed by Google, but there is nothing stopping people from continuing to do this,” Sabaj said.
“User safety is a top priority. These identified apps were removed from the Google Play and Google Play Protect-Android’s built-in malware defense, which is on by default-automatically disables these apps to protect users,” Google told the I-Team.
Google says no action is needed by users.
Experts say you should monitor activity no matter what kind of phone you have.
Check battery usage.
If a simple app is using more power than your browser or streaming apps, that’s a red flag.
Review permissions: Ask yourself, does an emoji maker really need access to items like contacts and files?
Watch for “blank notifications.” If apps are persistently running, you may see them.
Check Point says the apps in question would run those blank notifications to get around rules set by Google Play.
Delete any suspicious apps on your phone and avoid getting apps from other sources. Stick to official app stores whenever possible.
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