Over 300 Malicious Apps Unearthed in Google Play Store: A Disturbing Revelation

Every now and then, malicious apps manage to slip through the security measures of the Google Play Store and infiltrate the most popular platform for Android devices. Recently, approximately 300 malicious apps were discovered within the Google platform, and they were downloaded over 60 million times. These apps disguised themselves as legitimate apps but were actually used for abusive advertising and attempted to obtain sensitive data such as credit card information and login credentials for various platforms.

The security experts at “IAS Threat Lab” dubbed this malware “Vapor,” and it is believed that its activities began as early as 2024. At least 180 apps were found to be involved in advertising schemes, generating revenue for attackers by exploiting victims’ devices. However, the researchers at Bitdefender quickly raised the number to 331 apps that were discovered within the Google Play Store. These apps primarily targeted countries like Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and South Korea.

The advertising was hidden on the screen, generating revenue for the attackers without the victims being able to detect it. Furthermore, this advertising could also load or redirect users to fake websites designed to steal login or credit card information.

The malicious apps appeared to perform the actions they promised, with most of them being useful tools for everyday tasks, such as QR code readers or device and system optimization apps. These apps managed to deceive Google’s systems because their malicious activities were disabled when they were submitted to the platform, and they were only activated in future remote updates.

Some of the app names include AquaTracker, ClickSave Downloader, Scan Hawk, Water Time Tracker, Be More, and BeatWatch. The apps were submitted to the Google Play Store from different developer accounts, but the highest activity of submissions occurred between October 2024 and January 2025.

In addition to maintaining their malicious activities, the apps also attempted to hide within the system by often changing their names in the Android Settings to appear as seemingly legitimate apps from Google, such as Google or Google Voice.

While the Google Play Store remains one of the safest ways to install applications, users should always exercise caution when installing new apps from unknown developers and avoid cluttering their systems with unnecessary apps.

Background Information

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