1.5 Crore Indian Android Users Affected By Agent Smith Malware – Here’s A List Of Infected Apps

15 million smartphones in India have been affected by a seriously malicious software under the name Agent Smith, which has also extended its harm to about 25 million smartphone devices all around the world. 

Smartphone devices are no longer safe and this has been brought to our notice time and again. It was not very far ago when researchers found out that there more than a thousand apps out there that can still access your information even if they are specifically denied the required permissions.

The app has found its way through 25 million smartphones is through a third party app store called 9Apps. 

How does this app affect our smartphones? How was it detected? Read on and find out all about it!

Malicious Software ‘Agent Smith’ Detected by Check Point Research

A research by a security company called Check Point Research has helped identify this malware and the extensive harm that it has caused. The malware has been aptly named ‘Agent Smith’, and comes under the clever guise of a Google-related application.

Check Point Research is the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), and provides cyber security solutions at a global level.  

A press note has been released by Check Point Research on their official website, which tells us the potential and capacity of the app and has remarked that the app was “as malicious as they come.”

‘Agent Smith’ does not steal data from the users’ device, rather hacks apps and takes wrong credit for ads displayed or makes more ads pop-up. The profit from these ads went into the pocket of the malware operator. 

How Does Agent Smith Work?

The malware concealed itself in the apps available on the 9Apps platform, or appear under a name that would fool users like ‘Google Updater.’ once downloaded, the app would begin replacing code. 

The note by Check Point Research specifies, “Disguised as a Google-related application, the malware exploits known Android vulnerabilities and automatically replaces installed apps with malicious versions without users’ knowledge or interaction.”

The apps that the malware has affected through 9Apps store are Color Phone Flash – Call Screen Theme, Photo Projector, Rabbit Temple, Kiss Game : Touch Her Heart, and Girl Cloth XRay Scan Simulator.

Apart from the above-mentioned apps, here is a list of some more of the apps that have been manipulated by this ‘Agent Smith’:

• Blockman Go: Free Realms & Mini Games by Blockman Go Studio
• Cooking Witch by Ghost Rabbit
• Ludo Master – New Ludo Game 2019 For Free by Hippo Lab
• Angry Virus by A-Little Game, Bio Blast – Infinity Battle: Shoot virus! by Taplegend
• Shooting Jet by Gaming Hippo
• Gun Hero: Gunman Game for Free by Simplefreegames
• Clash of Virus by BrainyCoolGuy
• Star Range by A-little Game
• Crazy Juicer – Hot Knife Hit Game
• Juice Blast by Mint Games Global
• Sky Warriors: General Attack

What Should We Do?

• The researchers have warned users to download apps from legal and official app downloading platforms. 
• Organizations and consumers should both install an ‘advanced mobile threat prevention solution’ to protect their smartphone devices from such threats.
• Keep a close eye speed at which the battery of your smartphone discharges. Such malware often takes up a lot of your battery.
• If there is any app that is continuously displaying unnecessary pop-ups on your phone, it would be wise to uninstall the same.

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