Over 560 000 people downloaded fake games infected with malware from the Google Play Store

One would expect that anything trending on Google Play Store will be safe to download and install on your android device. But in a recent incident over 560 000 people downloaded games on the Play Store that were infected with malicious malware. This proves that one can never assume it is safe to download something just because it is distributed from a famous brand’s cloud platform.

IT management at any business or organisation should take extra precaution to ensure safety of their network and data. Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) are a great way to add an extra layer of security, especially when it comes to protecting sensitive information or access to firewalls. HSMs provide this layer of security by functioning as a physical encrypted hardware key.

Google removed a total of 13 games which contained malware – potentially harmful software - that could access sensitive information and bombard users with adverts while using their phones. The games that were removed were all from the same source – Luiz O Pinto - probably an alias but maybe a good idea to stay clear from downloading or installing anything from that developer.

Although all the games had a similar "racing" theme – from super cars racing to truck simulators and none of the games actually work. One had to also download and install an additional item called “Game Center”. After trying to open the game it would terminate the game and hide its icon.

In order to get rid of the malware one has to factory reset your phone after making sure everything like photos or text messages has been backed up. Alternatively, one could try and clean up your device using an anti-malware app like Malwarebytes.