Many new malicious Android apps crop up, delete them now before they steal your data and cash

If you’ve downloaded an interesting-looking Android app from Google Play anytime in the last few weeks that for one reason or another felt… kind of sketchy, you might want to check out our latest list of malicious titles caught red-handed by various security researchers employing different data and money-stealing tricks.

The bulk of those reviews are most likely fabricated, mind you, with a number of others correctly identifying the app as a “fraud” or “total fake”, highlighting one of the easiest ways to avoid these types of dangers. But before elaborating on that, let’s break down the list promised above in two smaller lists.

Here are the newest malicious Android apps you need to get rid of

And these are some slightly older apps also discovered carrying malware

Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about the first group, which includes at least three apps that managed to break into the five-digit Google Play download territory at one point or another. In theory, that puts tens of thousands if not more than 100,000 Android users in danger of having money, passwords, and other types of personal information stolen without mercy.

Their tricks are taken straight from “popular” Joker and Hydra playbooks, in case you’re wondering, collecting everything from phone numbers to email addresses, passwords, and even credit card details to try to do as much personal and financial damage as possible without user knowledge, and of course, without any form of authorization whatsoever.

What can you do to stay safe?

Even though there’s really no sure-fire way to keep all types of malware out of your Android phone at all times, you can try to do the following and minimize your risks: