Here we go again, according to VPN Pro, which has a habit of creating periodic reports about malicious apps and games, this time we have 24 apps that cover it all.
From weather apps to calendar and camera functionality, some of which loaded with malware ask for all sorts of potentially harmful permissions.
Unfortunately Google with its Play Protect let it go and now these apps together have more than 382 million installations.
Among the unnecessary and dangerous permissions are the ability to make calls, take photos and record video, record audio and much more.
The main point raised by VPN Pro is that the apps in question come from the same Chinese company that has a history of malware, rogueware and unethical practices. These apps also request a lot of unnecessary and dangerous permissions.
One of the company's apps, the report notes, is called Weather Forecast and was apparently "caught collecting user data and sending it to a server in China". Another of the apps in this batch of 24, called Candy Selfie Camera, reportedly asked for the following permissions to work:
- Access approximate location (permission that allows apps to gather a user's general location over Wi-Fi and/or mobile cell data)
- Access Good Location (Even more worrying than the one above. Most apps don't need this, and it's a permission that gives you more accurate data about your location)
- Camera
- get accounts
- read external storage
- read logs
- read phone status
- Write external storage
Another app, Sound Recorder, wanted to access the smartphone camera. Below you will see a list of all applications.
Shenzhen HAWK Internet Co., Ltd is a Chinese company that secretly develops 24 popular apps totaling over 382 million installs, with some apps containing malware and rogueware and participating in unethical practices.
The VPN Pro website points to the company Shenzhen HAWK, which has connections with several different application developers, which may indicate that there are still several other superior applications and that, unfortunately, Google is missing.
Shenzhen HAWK is a subsidiary of a large Chinese electronics giant, the partially state-owned TCL Corporation. The 24 apps the report warns everyone to get rid of are as follows:
- Sound Recorder
- Super Cleaner
- Virus Cleaner 2019
- File Manager
- Joy launcher
- Turbo Browser
- Weather Forecast
- Candy Selfie Camera
- Hi VPN, Free VPN
- Candy Gallery
- Calendar Lite
- super battery
- Hi Security 2019
- Net Master
- Puzzle box
- Private Browser
- High VPN Pro
- World zoo
- Word Crossy!
- Soccer Pinball
- dig it
- Laser break
- Music roam
- Word crush
