Mandrake malware: Five new apps detected on Google Play
Most applications on Google Play pose no threat, but that doesn’t mean Android users are completely safe. Five applications have been detected as malware, so it's best to remove them from your phone.
2 August 2024 14:27
The Google Play store offers numerous useful Android applications. Unfortunately, sometimes an application poses a threat. This time, not one but five applications have been identified as sources of malware.
Do you have these applications on your Android? Remove them for your safety
According to Kaspersky, five dangerous applications were detected in the Google Play store:
- AirFS
- Astro Explorer
- Amber
- CryptoPulsing
- Brain Matrix
Together, they have been downloaded over 32,000 times, with the majority—30,305 downloads—attributed to AirFS. These malicious Android applications were available in many countries, but most downloads came from Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Peru, and the United Kingdom.
What is Mandrake?
Mandrake is an advanced spying platform first described by Bitdefender in 2020. The malware has returned, although these applications entered Google Play in the first half of 2022, and the threat has only been detected now. The applications were updated during this time. For example, the latest update to AirFS was on March 15, 2024.
The discussed Mandrake has an advanced arsenal of techniques to bypass Android security. The malware can intercept user data, record the screen, or install additional applications without the user's knowledge and consent. If you have any of these applications on your phone, delete them immediately.
