Google Removes Android Applications That Are Found Stealing FB Passwords, Check Your Phone!

Play Store Apps (AndroidPIT)

JAKARTA - Google's efforts to remove applications that violate company policies have never stopped. And recently, based on the observation of Ars Technica, Google removed nine major applications from the Play Store.

The removal was not without reason. It didn't happen suddenly. This step was carried out by the company after the site analyst Dr.Web found that the nine applications in question were actually infiltrated by a trojan virus.

This means that each application has a malicious program capable of stealing the user's personal data. And in this case, Dr.Web noted that the trojan application contained in the application was able to steal detailed data from Facebook activity logs.

In simple language, the virus is able to find out and steal user's Facebook security data. From login locations to keywords!

Surprisingly, the nine applications in question are not ordinary applications. If we add up, the total number of users who have downloaded the nine applications has reached 5.8 million! Examples such as the "Daily Horoscope" application, to "Junk Cleaner".

How Apps Steal User Data

These nine applications trick users by displaying the Facebook login page the first time the application is opened after installation. In fact, the page is not a page that is connected to Facebook's servers.

According to Dr.Web the page only loads JavaScript from the server containing commands and controls to 'hijack' credential information. Next, the information is passed to the application, then ends up on the server that has been set up.

Not only that, but the embedded trojan virus is also able to steal cookies from every user activity when opening web pages.

Cited from Engadget, Google has informed Ars that it has blocked all the applications in question. But apparently, the move is only temporary. It can't be a permanent solution.

As is known, this is not the first time Google 'missed' an application that was inserted with malware or viruses. And when the same thing has happened time and time again, Google seems to have considered starting to do more stringent application filtering.

Thus, similar incidents, which have the potential to harm Android phone users, will no longer be repeated in the future.