these 9 Android apps want to steal your Facebook password

9 Android applications available on the Google Play Store seek to steal the identifiers (passwords and username) of Facebook users. Before being identified by an antivirus, these malicious applications were downloaded more than 5.8 million times on the store.

In a survey published on July 1, 2021, computer security researchers at Dr Web, a famous antivirus, warn Android users who have a Facebook account. Nine Android applications seek to trap Internet users in order to recover their credentials.

The modus operandi of malicious applications was the same every time. Users install the app and realize that it is full of advertisements. To avoid intrusive advertisements, the application asks Internet users to log into their Facebook account.

The list of 9 Android apps that seek to hack your Facebook account

The application then opens a login window that asks for your credentials : username, email and password. Unsurprisingly, the window was designed to intercept data provided by users. The hackers then collect this data, presumably with the aim of mass reselling it on dark web black markets.

“After the victim logged into their account, the Trojans also stole cookies from the current authorization session. These cookies were also sent to cybercriminals ” explains Dr Web. Cookies are files generated by the server of the website you are visiting. This data is used to recognize you on a site. Cookies can in particular be used for advertising purposes.

With cookies and identifiers, crooks are able to break into your Facebook account bypassing the social network’s protection mechanisms. To avoid falling into the trap, Dr Web recommends that you quickly uninstall the 9 applications below from your Android smartphone or tablet:

• PIP Photo
• Processing Photo
• Rubbish Cleaner
• Inwell Fitness
• Daily Horoscope
• App Lock Keep
• Lockit Master
• Horoscope Pi
• App Lock Manager

Alerted by Dr Web, Google quickly removed all 9 apps from his shop. For security reasons, the firm has also banned developers of applications from the Play Store. To avoid the pitfalls, we recommend that you monitor all attempts to log into your Facebook account. Finally, we encourage you to install a good antivirus on your Android phone.

Source: Dr Web