Even with one of the best android phones You still need to be careful when downloading new apps to your device. For example, 28 applications were recently discovered in the Google Play Store which were being used by hackers to turn the smartphones they were installed on into proxy servers.
As reported by beepcomputer, HUMAN’s Satori threat intelligence team discovered that these seemingly harmless apps were actually doing something shady in the background. Of the 28 apps listed in your report17 of them were posing as free VPN software.
While the best free vpn Apps and services can help further protect your online privacy, you should always be careful when installing one on your devices. As a person who tests VPNs for our reviews at Jugo Mobile, I highly recommend investing in one of the best vpn services instead, as these paid solutions are much more reputable and many of them have third parties audit their applications and services to ensure they do not contain vulnerabilities or malicious code.
Although turning your phone into a proxy is not as bad as having it infected with Android malware, remains a cause for concern. Residential proxies have legitimate uses, such as market research and search engine optimization, but in the wrong hands, as in this case, they can be used for all types of malicious activity from advertising fraud to identity fraud and even credential stuffing.
Here you will find everything you need to know about these good apps gone bad along with some tips on how to stay safe from malicious apps.
Delete these apps right now
Some of the apps listed below no longer contain the malicious code that was used to turn the Android smartphones running them into proxy servers. However, for those concerned that hackers may be using their devices for cybercrimes, it is recommended to manually remove these apps if you have any installed on your smartphone.
- Simple VPN
- Animation keyboard
- fire step
- Bytesheet VPN
- Android 12 Launcher
- Android 13 Launcher
- Android 14 Launcher
- CaptainDroid Feeds
- Free old classic movies
- Phone comparison
- Fast Fly VPN
- Fast Fox VPN
- fast line vpn
- Char Ging funny animation
- limousine borders
- OkoVPN
- Phone app launcher
- Fast Flow VPN
- Sample VPN
- Sure thunder
- Shine Safe
- speed surfing
- Fast Shield VPN
- turbo track vpn
- turbo tunnel vpn
- Yellow Flash VPN
- ultra vpn
- Run VPN
Turn phones into proxies
The only thing the 28 apps have in common is that they used a LumiApps software development kit (SDK). The company also runs an Android app monetization platform that uses a device’s IP address to load web pages in the background and send the data it retrieves to companies.
Typically, this comes from well-known sites and is “done in a way that never interrupts the user and is fully GDPR/CCPA compliant,” according to the LumiApps website. All of this is done with the ultimate goal of helping companies “improve their databases, offering better products, services and prices.”
On paper, this seems harmless if a little intrusive, but you get what you pay for when you download free apps instead of paid ones. What LumiaApps probably didn’t expect is that hackers would figure out how to use their app monetization platform for their own benefit.
After conducting research on these 28 applications, HUMAN security researchers discovered that they all contained a Golang library used for proxying called “Proxylib”. The first application the company found containing Proxylib was a free vpn app for android called Oko VPN. Security researchers later discovered that this same library was used by the LumiApps Android app monetization service.
Based on the findings of its investigation, HUMAN believes that these malicious applications are linked to a Russian residential proxy service provider called Asocks. It is worth noting that the Asocks service is often advertised on hack forums online.
Earlier this year, LumiApps released a new version of its SDK that included Proxylib v2. This was apparently done to address “integration issues,” but it’s unclear if hackers can also leverage it in their attacks.
Google has since removed all remaining apps as well as new ones that use the LumiApps SDK from the Play Store. Similarly, some of the developers using the SDK also removed it to fix their apps, although some republished the same apps using different developer accounts.
How to stay safe from malicious apps
When it comes to protecting yourself and your devices from malicious apps, the first thing you should do is avoid installing unnecessary applications on your Android smartphone. Ask yourself if you really need the app in question and from there you want to check its rating and reviews before installing it. However, keep in mind that reviews and ratings can be fake, so I always suggest watching video reviews so you can see the app in question in action.
On the security front, you want to make sure that Protect Google Play is enabled as it scans both your existing apps and any new ones you download for malware and other threats. However, for additional protection, you should consider installing one of the the best antivirus apps for Android, also.
As for free VPN apps and free VPNs in general, I really can’t recommend them. Most VPN services are pretty cheap for what they offer, and if you shop smart you can often get a great deal. ExpressVPN, NordVPN, surfer shark or other major suppliers. For example, I purchased a two-year subscription to Surfshark at a deep discount on Black Friday a year and a half ago and it’s still going strong.
Hackers and other cybercriminals will continue to launch malicious applications and try to turn good applications into bad ones by injecting them with malicious code. This is because there is so much personal and financial data on our smartphones these days. Because of this, it is up to you to think carefully and do proper research before installing any new app on your smartphone, no matter how popular it may be.
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