McAfee discovers 43 Android apps that ‘show’ advertisements while the screen is off

Antivirus software maker McAfee discovered 43 Android apps in the Google Play Store that showed ads in the background even when the screen of an affected smartphone was turned off. The adware in question has now been removed from the Play Store.

According to McAfee This concerns 43 apps with a total of more than 2.5 million downloads. The applications were mainly aimed at the South Korean market and in most cases had something to do with news and streaming. The cybersecurity company says it has reported the apps in question to Google, which obviously did not comply with the Play Store terms of service and have therefore been removed.

The creators of the adware used some tricks to avoid detection by Google and the user. For example, the apps were disguised as a calendar or news app so that the App Store operator would not ban the apps from the virtual store. In addition, the actual adware portion of the apps did not activate until several weeks after installation, so the connection between the effects of the adware and the malicious app would not be immediately apparent to users.

Speaking of the consequences, according to McAfee the main problem was that the batteries of affected smartphones were used up much faster than normal. This required users to grant multiple permissions, allowing the makers to bypass standard Android battery saving functions. Victims would also exceed data limits much more quickly and there is a risk of privacy violations.

It is not clear how many affected people actually fell victim to the adware, as presumably not everyone gave all permissions. In addition, it is unknown who the creators of the apps are and what their exact intentions were. Adware can be used, among other things, to steal user data or to generate advertising revenue.

McAfee recorded traffic even when the device’s screen was off. Source: McAfee