Joker malware is back, as it was spotted in four apps
This was detected and confirmed by Pradeo. The apps in question are Smart SMS Messages, Blood Pressure Monitor, Voice Languages Translator, and Quick Text SMS. The first one on that list had the most downloads before it was taken down, over 50,000. All four apps have been removed from the Play Store, though, and that could be a reaction to Pradeo’s report. Now, Joker is probably well-known to those of you who are in tune with mobile malware. Joker has been around for years at this point, and it is constantly evolving. The whole point of this malware is to get you to subscribe to bait services without your approval. At times, a user doesn’t even know he/she gets subscribed. That’s when Joker starts draining your bank account(s).
Check your bank statements if you have/had these apps installed
If, by any chance, you had any of these apps installed at any point, or still do, delete them. After that, you may want to check your bank statements, just to see if you didn’t pay for something you didn’t mean to pay for. Joker tends to subscribe you to stuff, and then slowly grab cash from your bank account, so make sure you check thoroughly if you had any of these apps on your device. This malware actually appeared quite a few times, since it was initially spotted back in 2017. Back then, though, it relied on SMS fraud, but it evolved over time. It was significantly different in September 2020, when it appeared for the second time. If you’d like to know more about the ‘Joker’ malware, click here.
