Android applications. Archives

AppWizard

March 19, 2025

These malicious Android apps were installed over 60 million times – here’s how to stay safe

Cybersecurity experts from Bitdefender discovered an ad fraud scheme involving over 300 Android applications that collectively had more than 60 million downloads from the Google Play Store. These apps, which appeared as utility tools like QR scanners and health apps, mainly targeted users with older Android versions (Android 13 and earlier) and first appeared in the third quarter of 2024. As of the research's completion, only 15 of the identified apps were still active, with most affected users located in Brazil, and others in the United States, Mexico, Turkey, and South Korea. The deceptive apps concealed their icons, displayed intrusive ads without user consent, and attempted to harvest sensitive information. Many of these harmful apps have been removed from the Play Store, but users with them installed remain vulnerable. Signs of compromise include lagging, excessive ads, overheating, or unexpected data usage. Users are advised to uninstall suspicious apps and to use the latest version of Android, currently Android 15.

AppWizard

December 13, 2024

Only 3 of the top 150 Android apps can detect reverse engineering tool Frida — here’s why that’s bad

A recent examination by the Norwegian cybersecurity firm Promon found that 144 out of the top 150 Android applications are vulnerable to manipulation using the Frida dynamic instrumentation toolkit. Only three of the tested apps could detect Frida and limit their functionality. This indicates that approximately 97% of popular Android applications are susceptible to exploitation. The analysis highlights a significant security gap, prompting calls for enhanced detection mechanisms in apps handling sensitive data. The specific apps tested have over 550 million daily users and an average of 206 million monthly users as of November 2024. Users are advised to keep their devices updated, install reputable antivirus applications, and consider using Google Play Protect for additional security.

AppWizard

December 5, 2024

MOONSHINE Kit Exploiting Android Messaging Apps Flaw To Inject Backdoor

A sophisticated exploit kit named MOONSHINE targets Android messaging applications to implant backdoors into users' devices. The entity behind these attacks, Earth Minotaur, focuses on the Tibetan and Uyghur communities by distributing crafted messages through instant messaging platforms, encouraging victims to click on malicious links, redirecting them to servers hosting the MOONSHINE exploit kit, and installing a cross-platform backdoor called DarkNimbus. The upgraded MOONSHINE kit uses pre-configured attack links, browser version verification, multiple Chromium exploits, and phishing for downgrade techniques. It can target various Android applications, including WeChat, Facebook, Line, and QQ. The DarkNimbus backdoor has both Android and Windows versions, with features for gathering device information, extracting personal data, and facilitating surveillance. MOONSHINE has been linked to other Chinese operations, including POISON CARP and UNC5221, indicating a shared ecosystem among Chinese threat actors. Users are advised to be cautious with suspicious links and keep applications updated to mitigate vulnerabilities.

AppWizard

November 26, 2024

Signs of Google’s refined new account switcher keep popping up in more and more apps (APK teardown)

Google is working on enhancements to its account switcher for Android applications, with progress being made since late August. Initial updates indicated a revamp of the account switcher interface to align with the web experience, and glimpses of the new design appeared in Gmail. As of now, several key applications, including the Google app, Google Maps, Google Calendar, and Google Keep, have versions that allow users to manually access the in-development account switcher. These updates feature new menu elements in some applications while others maintain a simpler interface. The trend suggests a broader deployment of the revamped interface is forthcoming, with many primary Android applications potentially ready for the transition soon.

Winsage

November 8, 2024

“Don’t kill Android (WSA) in Windows 11” is now a top feedback, but will Microsoft listen?

Microsoft will discontinue the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) in 2025, along with the removal of the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store. Many users rely on WSA for accessing Android applications not available on Windows, leading to significant disappointment among them. A post on the Feedback Hub advocating for WSA has received nearly 700 upvotes, indicating user frustration. WSA is seen as essential for both daily tasks and for developers testing Android applications. The decision to discontinue WSA is linked to the financial performance of the Microsoft Store and a lack of support from Google. Initially, WSA was only available in the United States, which limited its user base.

AppWizard

October 28, 2024

Best Android app price drops and freebies: Dead Cells, Majotori, Room Old Sins, more

The Google Play storefront has announced price reductions on several Android applications, including Majotori, Dead Cells, The Room: Old Sins, Loop, and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Additionally, hardware items on sale include Pebblebee’s Find My item trackers, Samsung’s 2024 160MB/s EVO Select microSD card, Galaxy Watch 7 models, Razer’s Kishi V2 Pro Xbox Edition gamepad, and Samsung’s 2024 32-inch M8 smart monitor.

AppWizard

October 3, 2024

Google opens up Gemini Nano for all Android apps

Google has made its Gemini Nano AI model accessible for all Android applications, allowing it to operate locally on devices without an internet connection. Devices like the Google Pixel 9 series and Galaxy S24 series support Gemini Nano, enabling integration into apps such as Pixel Recorder and Google Messages. Google is now providing all Android app developers access to the AI Edge SDK tool, which was previously part of a closed program, to explore Gemini Nano's capabilities. Developers can currently experiment with text-to-text prompts, with plans to support additional modalities like images in the future. They are encouraged to explore various use cases, including rephrasing, smart replies, proofreading, and summarization, while also customizing Gemini Nano’s responses for their applications.

AppWizard

August 23, 2024

Top 11 Free Crypto Mining Apps for Android in 2024

Mobile crypto mining allows users to mine cryptocurrencies directly from their smartphones, offering a more accessible alternative to traditional mining that requires powerful hardware and significant energy consumption. However, the rewards from mobile mining are generally lower. Android is favored for mobile mining due to its open-source nature and the variety of available mining apps. Several free crypto mining apps for Android include: 1. MasHash: A cloud-based mining app that allows users to mine cryptocurrencies like Litecoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin. It offers eco-friendly operations and daily rewards but lacks physical hardware ownership. 2. ECOS: A cloud mining platform known for its transparency and user-friendly interface, requiring an upfront purchase of mining contracts. 3. Hashshiny: Supports multiple cryptocurrencies and provides real-time monitoring, but requires purchasing cloud mining contracts. 4. Binance: Offers a cloud mining service integrated with its trading platform, primarily focused on Bitcoin. 5. NiceHash: Allows users to sell their computer's processing power for mining, offering flexibility but with volatile earnings. 6. CryptoTab Browser: Combines web browsing with Bitcoin mining, operating in the background to minimize power usage. 7. Pi Network: Allows users to earn Pi coins with minimal processing power, but the coins currently lack trading options. 8. StormGain: Provides a cloud mining service for Bitcoin without using device power, but has limited cryptocurrency options. 9. MinerGate Mobile Miner: Supports various cryptocurrencies and offers a user-friendly interface, but may drain battery life. 10. AA Miner: Supports mining for over fifty cryptocurrencies with a simple interface, but has high battery consumption. 11. Crypto Miner: Offers flexibility with various mining techniques but may require more technical knowledge. To maximize earnings, users can utilize multiple apps, optimize settings, join mining pools, keep apps updated, and monitor performance to prevent overheating. While many mining apps are safe, it's important to choose reputable ones and be cautious of those requiring significant upfront investments.

AppWizard

August 19, 2024

Google Play will no longer pay to discover vulnerabilities in popular Android apps

Google is winding down the Google Play Security Reward Program (GPSRP), effective August 31st, due to a decrease in actionable vulnerabilities reported by the security research community. The program, launched in late 2017, incentivized researchers to disclose vulnerabilities in popular Android applications, initially focusing on a limited number of developers and later expanding to all apps on the Google Play Store with at least 100 million installations. Maximum rewards were increased over time, reaching up to 0,000 for remote code execution vulnerabilities. The program contributed to enhanced security on the Play Store, helping over 300,000 developers fix more than one million apps by 2019. Google cited overall improvements in the security landscape of Android as the reason for discontinuing the program. Reports submitted before the end date will be triaged by September 15th, with final reward decisions made by September 30th.

AppWizard

August 19, 2024

Google Play ends rewards for Android app bug hunters

Google is set to conclude the Google Play Security Reward Program (GPSRP) on August 31, due to a decline in actionable vulnerabilities being reported, which Google attributes to improvements in Android OS security. The GPSRP, launched in October 2017, incentivized researchers to identify vulnerabilities in popular Android applications on the Google Play Store, expanding over time to include all apps with at least 100 million installations. Through the program, developers earned money for finding security flaws, and it helped over 300,000 developers fix more than 1,000,000 applications, reducing the number of risky apps. The closure of the GPSRP raises concerns about the motivation for security experts to report vulnerabilities responsibly, particularly for apps from companies with weaker bug report management systems.