Infected Apps Bombard Nigeria Android Phones

A study between November 2020 and January 2021 shows that one in nine Android mobile phones in Nigeria has malware-infected apps. The study was conducted by a mobile technology company, Upstream, which studied 415,000 transactions.

There were about 576 malicious apps in the country, and many of the apps are still active and are yet to be removed from Google Play store, its report said.

The report, which Upstream produced with its cybersecurity arm Secure D, identifies the top five apps with “suspicious behaviour” as:

XOS Launcher
HiOS Launcher
Phoenix Browser,
AHA Games and
Cobo Launcher Easily DIY Theme.

In Nigeria, these apps come pre-installed on many Android phones sold. For instance, “com.android.fmradio”, a radio player app is said to be responsible for 99.8 million fraudulent transactions.

Only 2.6% of devices globally are reported to be harbouring high-risk apps, while some mobile markets are being targeted more than others by malicious actors, Upstream said.

According to the report, the risk of fraud has increased as more businesses and individuals have been using the internet via smartphones during the coronavirus pandemic.

Upstream CEO Dimitris Maniatis says that digital novices in rural communities who depend on mobile phones to stay connected to the world may easily fall victim.

Malware activities may be as simple as changing a mobile phone’s settings to something as dangerous as mining for passwords and personal information