Google Play Store Confirms Banking Malware Sharkbot Has Been Removed | All Fake Antivirus Apps Deleted?

Google Play Store confirmed that the banking malware, Sharkbot, which was notorious for hiding beneath fake antivirus apps, has been wiped off on the Android app marketplace.

Google Play Store and Banking Malware SharkBot

As per a news story by Dark Reading, security experts first saw the Android banking Trojan, SharkBot, on Google Play Store way back in October.

Since then, the notorious SharkBot has continued to spread throughout various malicious apps on the official app marketplace of Android, ironically hiding beneath antivirus apps that turn out to be fake.

Dark Reading further noted in the same report that the SharkBot malware steals directly from the bank accounts of Android users that it has bitten.

The Android phone that has been taken over by the infamous trojan goes on to transfer money from their accounts in their banking apps once victims try to log in to it.

That said, the threat actors will no longer need to steal the login credentials of their victims, as well as bypass advanced multifactor systems. Thus, making a complex password and any authentication useless once the SharkBot takes over an Android device.

That's not all, the notorious banking Trojan also steals other login credentials of its victims and even their credit card information.

Not to mention that the SharkBot comes with a feature that escapes immediate detection from anti-malware or hacking systems, allowing it to successfully run its scheme before getting caught.

Google vs. SharkBot

Meanwhile, according to a report by Check Point Research, it has already discovered a total of six Google Play apps, pretending to be harmless antivirus software, which was supposed to remove any malware infection on Android devices.

However, as it turns out, these anti-malware apps actually spread the SharkBot malware to various Android users.

On March 3, Check Point reported four apps found on the Play Store that contained the SharkBot Trojan to Google.

On top of that, another security firm, NCC Group, also went on to report the same malicious apps to the search engine giant.

Google responded to the reports by removing the listing of these apps on the Play Store a week after.

In addition to that, a spokesperson from the tech giant now confirms that the SharkBot malware has been completely removed from its official app marketplace.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Teejay Boris