Security researchers have discovered a strain of Android malware that keeps finding its way onto Google Play – despite the store supposedly being scrubbed clean of infiltrated apps.
The software nasty – Android.Spy.277.origin – is hidden in more than 100 applications on Google Play. Sketchy programs harboring the malware masquerade as legitimate popular games and the like, but they come with a secret backdoor.
Once the infected app is installed, the attacker can remotely download a malicious APK called "polacin.io" to the device. After the victim is tricked into allowing the code to be installed, the Android device sends a wide array of information about the hardware to command and control servers, plus the user's email address and location.
