Beware! DANGEROUS app BANNED due to Joker Malware, delete from your phone now
A malicious Android app with over 500,000 downloads from the Google Play app store has been discovered to be infected with malware that secretly sends users’ contact details to an attacker-controlled server and registers them up for unwanted paid premium memberships without their knowledge.
The newest Joker virus was discovered in Color Message (“com.guo.smscolor.amessage”), a messaging-focused app that has subsequently been withdrawn from the official app marketplace. It has also been seen faking clicks in order to make cash from fraudulent adverts, as well as connecting to Russian servers.
DANGEROUS app BANNED due to Joker Malware
What do you need to do?
If you’re one of the 50,000 people who downloaded the Joker-infected Color Message app, you should remove it right now. You may remove an app by simply pressing the app icon in your menu.
You may also open your Google Play Store and navigate to Menu, where you will see the My Apps & Games option. Uninstall the Color Message app by selecting it.
Are you safe now?
No, it appears not! Getting rid of an app by uninstalling or deleting it isn’t enough to make your smartphone safe.
Uninstalling the program, like with the Color Message app, would not cancel the subscriptions that you have been surreptitiously signed up for as a result of the infection.
To do so, reopen Google Play Store and navigate to Subscriptions on the menu.
Check all of the premium memberships you’ve signed up for, and if any of them seem suspicious, choose it and cancel the subscription. Then you must follow the instructions on the screen.
Now. You’ll be completely shielded from harm!
According to mobile security firm Pradeo, Color Message “accesses users’ contact information and exfiltrates it across the network [and] automatically subscribes to undesirable premium services.”
“The program has the ability to disguise its icon once installed, making it difficult to delete.”
The Color Message makers write in their terms and conditions, “We is [sic] devoted to ensuring that the software is as useful and efficient as possible.”
“As a result, we reserve the right to make modifications to the app at any time and for any reason, as well as to charge for its services. We’ll never charge you for the app or its services until we’ve made it crystal clear what you’re paying for.”
Joker has been a notable fleeceware since its discovery in 2017, infamous for a variety of harmful actions, including billing fraud and intercepting SMS messages, contact details, and device information without users’ knowledge.
The malware authors “have at some point used just about every cloaking and obfuscation technique under the sun in an attempt to go undetected,” according to Android’s Security and Privacy Team, who said the malware authors “have at some point used just about every cloaking and obfuscation technique under the sun in an attempt to go undetected.”
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