Facestealer spyware in over 200 apps targets ‘personal data’, including ‘Facebook passwords’; Report

Every now and again, dangerous malware makes its way into the Google Play Store. According to Trend Micro’s recent study, more than 200 Android applications on the Play Store include a harmful malware dubbed Facestealer, which may not only steal users’ personal data but also Facebook passwords and other credentials.

Trend Micro discovered over 40 bogus cryptocurrency miner applications that attempted to steal crypto money and capture sensitive information without the users’ authorization. In addition, there were over 200 apps containing Facestealer malware. According to the research, several of these programs have over 100,000 installations. Daily Fitness OL, Panorama Camera, Business Meta Manager, Swam Photo, Enjoy Photo Editor, Cryptomining Farm Your Own Coin, and Photo Gaming Puzzle were among the applications that were unwittingly gathering private user information.

All of these apps have hundreds of thousands of downloads. According to the study, Google was made aware of the malware and swiftly uninstalled applications infected with Facestealer. Users who have any of these applications loaded on their smartphones should uninstall them immediately so that they do not gather any additional personal information. Similar cases have been recorded in the past, with Google removing hundreds of thousands of applications infected with some form of malware or another.

While Google has implemented rigorous Play store regulations in the past, malicious spyware still makes its way to the Play store on occasion. As a result, users should exercise extreme caution while installing apps from the Google Play store on their Android devices. Here are a few things to remember:

• Always download software created by reputable firms. It is recommended that you look up the developer’s name.
• Before installing, it’s a wise idea to look at the app’s rating.
• Never give any app access to your contacts or other personal information.
• Examine the information page for any programs you want to download.
• Apps should only be downloaded from legitimate sites, such as the Google Play Store.