The latest adware outbreak might be the worst yet for Android users.
According to researchers from cybersecurity company Lookout, a new strain of adware is capable of automatically rooting a user’s device, embedding in the system application and becomes nearly impossible to uninstall.
READ MORE: The first thing everyone needs to do with a new iPhone 6s
As Lookout explains, adware has traditionally been used to push annoying advertisements and popups to mobile and desktop users, but this new trend is far more sophisticated than what researchers are used to seeing.
During their research, Lookout found over 20,000 trojanized adware applications masked as popular apps, including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, NYTimes and Candy Crush Saga. You won’t find any of these corrupted apps on Google Play — rather, the hackers repackage the apps, inject malicious code and then upload them to third-party stores.
But not only do they look identical to the real apps on third-party stores, they typically function as standard apps as well. In other words, if you log into the infected Twitter app, you can probably still browse your timeline, but the app will be taking apart your phone from the inside while you’re scrolling.
All of this is frightening enough, but there’s even an larger issue — without professional help, you might have to simply abandon your device if you want to get rid of the adware.
Be sure to read the entire piece on Lookout’s blog for more information.
