In case you missed it, Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) and National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) discovered more than 200 apps wreaking havoc on victims’ phones.
Researchers at DES and NCSA published their findings on Jan. 20 on the DES’ official Facebook page. No one is safe — Android and iOS users all over the world are susceptible to inadvertently downloading one of these malicious apps (h/t Bangkok Post).
More than 200 Android, iOS apps caught spreading malware
As mentioned, the DES, working alongside NCSA, revealed a list of 200 dangerous apps that funneled money out of victims’ accounts, snatched personal data from quarries, and/or allowed hackers to remotely control targets’ devices.
The apps range from password managers and photo editors to PDF scanners and instant messengers. Check out the gallery below for an exhaustive list of the malicious applications.
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According to the report, which was translated to English via Facebook’s AI translation tool, DES Minister Chaiwut Thanakmanuson announced that there’s an “outbreak” of dangerous malware across Android and iOS apps. The organization revealed that it launched a malware investigation after learning about a money-snatching case that affected the public “widely.” (A group of crooks managed to extort a lot of money from victims who installed malware-infected apps on their phones.)
Facebook’s AI translation tool is rough around the edges, but from what we can glean from the English output, it seems like the DES is in talks with Google and Apple to get these apps removed from the Play Store and App Store.
In the meantime, the DES is urging the public to sift through its list of dangerous 200+ Android and iOS apps. If any of them are on your device, delete them immediately.
Be sure to check out our best mobile antivirus apps page to keep your device secure from hackers who want to cause mayhem on your phone.