Some popular apps on the Google Play Store may seem harmless at first glance, but a new report from Malwarebytes reminds us that we should always remember that apps can change. An American security software developer has discovered that a popular application for scanning barcodes is infected with malware.
Lavabird is behind the free application in question, simply called Barcode Scanner. As the name suggests, it is an application that allows you to scan barcodes and QR codes. While free apps often use advertising devkits that sometimes tend to get a little too aggressive, according to Malwarebytes, that wasn't the case with this app.
The application is said to have been changed by the latest update from the beginning of December, which added lines of malicious code to it. The company discovered that it was a Trojan horse, specifically o Android/Trojan.HiddenAds.AdQR. The malicious code is also said to have used strong obfuscation (i.e. significantly obfuscating the source code) to avoid detection.
The malware targeted users by automatically launching an Internet browser, loading fake pages, and prompting users to install malicious applications. Before malware was discovered in the app, it enjoyed considerable popularity. It had a four-star rating on the Google Play Store with over 70 reviews and was installed by over 10 million users. Based on a Malwarebytes report, it has been removed from the store. If you have it installed on your phone, delete it immediately.
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