9 million Android smartphones users tricked into. Downloading adware apps

Google is continuously trying its best to review the apps before accepting it into Google Play, yet, Android users are becoming a victim of fake applications with virus and malicious content. Recently researchers at Trend Micro, a cybersecurity company, found 85 fake apps on Google Play Store that have been downloaded by around 9 million Android users. These fake apps were found to be infected by madware, a regressive advertising technique which affects smartphones by the device with advertisements.

The report suggests that these 85 fake apps infected with madware shared similar name, code and apk. While testing the apps, it was found that after clicking on or clicking on tapping, an ad would appear on the screen which would make it difficult for them to use the app altogether. The madware apps deceive Android users in downloading the app. In this way, the app maker use the madware technique to generate money and use the application as a source of revenue


These 85 madware affected apps included easy Universal TV remote, Garage door remote control, prado parking 3D game, police chase extreme city 3D game to name a few. Though Google has now suspended these fake apps from Google play store, around 9 million Android users have already been affected with the malware.

Madware apps deliberately display advertisements everywhere in the device making it difficult and annoying for the user to even use his phone. Besides crashing your phone with ads, madware apps also collect private information of the user like- device's location and contacts. It may also cost a user excessive amount of data usage fee and increased messaging.