Beware! These ‘beauty camera apps’ are malicious, uninstall them

February 5: Google is repeatedly trying to keep its Play Store safe from malicious apps, but somehow these malicious apps again find their way into the world. In its latest attempt, Google removed 29 such apps, some of which had been already downloaded millions of times. These apps steal users’ photos, promote pornographic content and carry out nefarious activities on Android devices.

The security firm Trend Micro has revealed that they have found 29 beauty and camera filter apps on the Google Play Store that contain malware. The company also added that a large number of download counts orginated from Asia particularly India. Google has already removed these apps from the Play Store. But if you have any of them on your smartphone then this is the right time to uninstall them.

Most of these app developers use compression archives, known as ‘packers’. Basically, this makes it even more difficult to detect such apps. These malicious apps make it difficult for the user to delete them as they create a shortcut to the apps after being launched but hide its icon from the application list. The camera apps use packers that prevent them from being analysed.

Here are the list of 29 malicious beauty and camera filter apps that steal your data and images:

• Pro Camera Beauty
• Cartoon Art Photo
• Emoji Camera
• Artistic effect Filter
• Art Editor
• Beauty Camera
• Selfie Camera Pro
• Horizon Beauty Camera
• Super Camera
• Art Effects for Photo
• Awesome Cartoon Art
• Art Filter Photo
• Art Filter Photo Effects
• Cartoon Effect
• Art Effect
• Photo Editor
• Wallpapers HD
• Magic Art Filter Photo Editor
• Fill Art Photo Editor
• Art Flip photo Editing
• Art Filter
• Cartoon Art photo
• Prizma Photo Effect
• Cartoon Art Photo Filter
• Art Filter Photo Editor
• Pixture
• Art Effect
• Photo Art Effect
• Cartoon Photo Filter

So it’s better to check your mobile and delete these apps immediately to keep your mobile safe and also to save yourself from falling a prey in the hands of fraudsters.