Google And Apple Remove 20 Apps Containing SparkCat Malware On Its App Store

Application illustration in the Play store (photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Apple and Google have withdrawn 20 apps from their respective app stores after Kaspersky discovered that the app was carrying data-stealing malware.

Previously, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky found several applications available on app stores and play stores containing a malware dubbed SparkCat.

Initially, researchers found this dangerous framework in food delivery applications used in the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

But then, they found the malware in 19 other unrelated apps, which they mentioned cumulatively downloaded more than 242,000 times via the Google Play Store.

Knowing this danger, Google immediately took down the applications containing the malware.

"All identified applications have been removed from Google Play, and their developers have been banned," Google spokesperson Ed Fernandez told TechCrunch.

In addition, a Google spokesperson also confirmed that Android users will be protected from the malware version through Google Play Protect's built-in security features.

Meanwhile, Kaspersky spokesman Rosemarie Gonzales told TechCrunch that although the reported app was withdrawn from official app stores, company data showed that the malware was also available from other websites and non-official app stores.