Russian based cyber-security company Dr. Web recently has revealed that the Google Play Store is packed with apps infected with malware and trojans that are stealing data and money from those who innocently download them.

An analysis by their researchers found that the number of apps that have been ‘trojanized’ and infected with malware is “spiking”.

The most popular types of apps affected by malicious software on the platform are generally cryptocurrency wallets, clones of investment apps or photo editors.

While Google works hard to remove dangerous applications from its Play Store, the number of dangerous apps on the platform is increasing, and many are slipping through the cracks.

Two apps from the same developer, Top Navigation and Advice Photo Power, have been downloaded over 600,000 times, despite an array of negative feedback in the comments. At the time of writing this article, both apps have been taken down, however research into Top Navigation reveals it had a 2.1 start rating, which is incredibly low when taking into account that many of these apps flood their reviews with fake positive ones.

While not all of these apps will directly steal information, many will trick users into accidentally signing up for paid subscription services. Furthermore, as Google is always on the lookout for apps like these, keeping an app on the store is difficult, so they are often distributed via other means such as social media, websites and forums.

Reports from Dr. Web say that one of the most significant cases this year was the distribution of several mods for messenger service WhatsApp that claim to offer extra languages, home screen interactivity and more. Once installed, under the guide of an update, these apps may even download additional Android Packages (APKs).

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The best practice for users to follow is to avoid downloading apps from sources outside of the Play store and to read reviews thoroughly. Furthermore, pay attention to what permissions the app is after and think about their relevance. Symptoms such as major battery drain may also indicate that an app is conducting other activity that may be malicious.