Google has removed 16 apps from its Play Store that were causing faster battery drain and high data usage on Android devices.
The removed apps were committing ad fraud by redirecting to websites in the background to click on ads impersonating the real user, according to the security firm that identified the bugs.
According to the security firm, the apps reportedly had 20 million downloads before they were removed from the store.
Ars Technica reports that Google has removed 16 apps from its Play Store that were discovered by McAfee. The removed app falls under the category of “utility” apps — apps that generally perform basic tasks such as allowing users to scan a QR code and visit a linked website, turn on the device’s flashlight, or something as basic as a currency converter or calculator, according to McAfee. Google has removed 16 utility apps from its Play Store.
Here is the list of 16 apps, removed by Google Play store
- High speed camera
- Smart Task Manager
- Flashlight+
- com.smh.memocalendar memocalendar
- 8K-Dictionary
- BusanBus
- Flashlight+
- A quick note
- Currency converter
- Joycode
- EzDica
- Instagram profile downloader
- Ez notes
- com.candlecom.flashlite
- com.doubleline.calcul
- com.dev.imagevault Flashlight+
When these apps were launched, McAfee found that they automatically downloaded code, received alerts to access websites without user notification, and clicked on links and ads.
This would be an example of ad fraud as it would artificially increase interaction with these ads impersonating a real user.
The California-based security firm found that the uninstalled apps had libraries like “com.liveposting” and “com.click.cas” that allowed users to click on links and ads without the user’s knowledge, ultimately leading to increased battery drain and network consumption.