Google has removed a total of 24 applications from the Chinese company Shenzhen Hawk, a subsidiary of the giant TCL, this week from Google Play Store after a report accusing them of using various fraudulent practices.
According to VPNpro research, the Chinese company used different developer names to camouflage its intentions. Several of the applications, which accumulate 382 million downloads together, ask the user for a “large number of dangerous permits” – including the ability to make calls, take photos, record videos, audios and “much more” – what could ” put your private data at risk, experts warn.
Thus, Weather Forecast, one of the ‘apps’ mentioned in the report, was infected with ‘malware’ and supposedly collected data from millions of users, sending them to a server in China. The weather application also subscribed users to premium paid phones, opened hidden browser windows and clicked on ads from certain web pages.
As specified by Forbes analyst Zak Doffman, of the 24 applications listed in the report, six request access to the camera and two to the phone itself, which means they can make calls. In addition, 15 of the ‘apps’ can access the user’s GPS location and read data in external storage, while 14 can collect and upload details of the user’s phone and network. One of the applications can record audio on the device or on its own servers, while another can access contacts.
Once installed, these applications can communicate with an external server controlled by their developers. “By recovering the location and details of the user, the lowest risk is that this encourages targeted marketing thanks to user data sold to advertisers who can then customize unwanted ads,” Doffman explains.
The apps you should uninstall
Following the investigation, Google decided on Tuesday to remove the 24 ‘apps’ from its official Android platform. “We take reports of security and privacy violations seriously,” the company said in statements to Forbes. However, users who already have one of the fraudulent applications installed should manually uninstall them. These are the 24 ‘apps’ mentioned in the report:
- World zoo
- Puzzle box
- Word Crossy!
- Soccer Pinball
- Say it
- Laser break
- Word Crush
- Music roam
- File Manager
- Sound recorder
- Joy Launcher
- Turbo Browser
- Weather Forecast
- Calendar Lite
- Candy Selfie Camera
- Private browser
- Super cleaner
- Super battery
- Virus Cleaner 2019
- Hi Security 2019
- Hi VPN, Free VPN
- Hi VPN Pro
- Net master
- Candy Gallery