Alert: Delete These 7 Apps Immediately From Your Android Phone

The team at cybersecurity firm Pradeo has found several apps on the Google Play store along with Color Message that is infected by the Joker malware.

Mobile security solutions company Pradeo has alerted Android phone users to a new strain of the infamous Joker malware infecting new apps on the official Google Play store. The Joker malware has already returned to Google Play infecting 15 popular apps. This malware had created a significant mobile security risk last year as it was infecting legitimate Android apps on the Google Play Store. Despite Google's intervention last year, the Joker malware has made a successful comeback by making small changes to its code to bypass Google's security.

Recently, an analyst at cybersecurity firm Kaspersky named Tatyana Shishkova discovered that the Joker malware was infecting at least 14 Android apps. This malware was first discovered in 2017 and it has been a huge challenge for Google to tackle it.

According to a report by Pradeo, a popular app called Color Message used by 5 lakh users is the latest to be infected with the Joker malware. "The application appears to be making connections to Russian servers," the report says.

Delete these seven apps that are infected by Joker:

1. Colour Message

2. Convenient Scanner 2

3. Emoji Wallpaper

4. Fingertip GameBox

5. Push Message-Texting&SMS

6. Safety AppLock

7. Separate Doc Scanner

What is Joker malware and why is it so unsafe?

Joker malware falls into the category of "fleeceware" that ultimately steals your money without your knowledge. This malware simulates clicks and intercepts SMS to subscribe to an unwanted premium paid services without users' knowledge. You can simply subscribe the users to the online paid service without taking any permission and you can also click on the online ads automatically. What makes this malware so dangerous is that it can even read SMS OTPs to secretly approve payments. Unless you check your bank statements, you won't even know you're paying for some random online app or service.

Pradeo's team has also found several other apps along with Color Message previously that are infected by Joker.