The “Joker” virus has been spotted recently by the Belgian Police. The Belgian Police warn Android users as these 8 infected apps available in the Google Play Store harbor the virus.
What does The Joker Virus Do?
The Joker virus is notorious for subscribing users to payment services without their consent and slowly empties their bank accounts.
Not too long ago, it was detected in 24 Android applications that are all available in Google Play Store. The hardest part for Android users is that over 500,000 devices had already downloaded these applications before Google removed them in September 2020.
The September Joker attack affected 30 different countries including the United States, Brazil, and Spain.
The Joker virus is not just a regular malware – it can do serious damage by running their victims dry of their money by triggering illegal subscriptions allowing hackers to steal $7 for each subscription every week.
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Which Applications Are Infected?
The Belgian Police detected the virus in 8 different applications, all of them available in Google Play Store.
Google has removed the following applications containing the virus: Auxiliary Message, Element Scanner, Fast Magic SMS, Free, CamScanner, Go Messages, Super Message, Super SMS, Travel Wallpapers.
Most users who are infected by the virus won’t notice it immediately until they see their bills.
How to Stay Safe?
The best course of action is to delete the applications that contain the virus in your devices. This will limit your vulnerability to the virus as it works in silence while stealing your money.
Furthermore, equipping your device can get you additional protection from the virus.
Google has also taken action by displaying a banner to applications that it has fully verified. Download only these applications and be wary of downloading applications that are not Google verified until the Joker is contained.