About 1.5 crore Android users have been facing uncertainty ever since reports surfaced last week that the devices have been targetted by Agent Smith malware, and such attacks may cause cybersecurity breach and data theft. The new malware is targeting android phones with a series of advertisements.
Reports claimed that this malware was first detected by IT security company Check Point, which said the malware is "disguised as a Google-related application, and exploits known Android vulnerabilities and automatically replaces installed apps with malicious versions without users' knowledge or interaction." Though the malware is not known to steal any data, the fact that it is residing in your smartphone with deep access is enough to worry you.
Agent Smith is capable of targeting installed applications on android phones to ensure that the malware infection stays the same inside the device. The easiest way to realise on your mobile is when your WhatsApp shows ads.
When the tech giant Google realised the impact of the malware, they identified and removed the following 16 apps from the Google Play Store. These Agent Smith-affected apps are no longer available for download from the Play Store now and there will be no updates available for them.
But this malware can cling on to other apps and make it difficult for the users to identify which app has been compromised. Moreover, Google has removed these 16 apps from the Play Store but it can't uninstall these apps from an individual's Android phone.
How to Remove Infected Malware?
To remove them, first, go to the list of applications on your phone, not from the home screen but from Settings > Apps page.
Go through all apps and look for suspicious apps with names like Google Updater, Google Installer for U, Google Powers and Google Installer, and uninstall them immediately.
Further, to make your device safer and secure, users, who have downloaded following apps earlier, are advised to delete the following games or apps immediately:
- Ludo Master - New Ludo Game 2019 For Free
- Sky Warriors: General Attack
- Color Phone Flash - Call Screen Theme
- Bio Blast - Infinity Battle Shoot virus
- Shooting Jet
- Photo Projector
- Gun Hero - Gunman Game for Free
- Cooking Witch
- Blockman Go: Free Realms & Mini Games
- Crazy Juicer - Hot Knife Hit Game & Juice Blast
- Clash of Virus
- Angry Virus
- Rabbit Temple
- Star Range
- Kiss Game: Touch Her Heart
- Girl Cloth Xray Scan Simulator
