Cybersecurity company McAfee has released details of a project. a total of 16 malicious apps From the “clicker” style available on Google Play on Android. together they total more than 20 million downloads and they were secretly acting on people’s cell phones.
Malicious “clicker” apps are those that are automatically installed on the mobile phone and click on advertisements, but somehow “not visible” to the user. The idea is to unknowingly generate revenue from ad clicks while at the same time draining the battery and negatively impacting device performance.
McAfee highlights DxClean, which adds an element of irony to its blame. The app promotes itself to “clean up” the system, optimize its performance, and eliminate slowdowns caused by targeted ads and the like. Meanwhile, the app did exactly what it promised to prevent.
DxClean has since been removed from the store, but not before it was downloaded nearly 5 million times. It even averaged 4.1 stars on Google Play.
“Clicker” apps
Applications such as “clicker” (or “clicker”) can be difficult for the user to detect without using a specially designed program. Many of them are precisely programmed to make them difficult to detect, not to act immediately when installed, and even delay their operation when the person is actively using the mobile phone.
One way to notice the existence of these apps is to keep an eye on your device’s battery and internet usage. If the battery dies after a period of inactivity and the internet is heavily used, this is a sign that some malicious app is operating in an unauthorized manner. As you can imagine, McAfee also recommends installing reliable protection software on your phone.
Source: Tec Mundo
