SimBad : The adware, which enforced Google to remove more than 200 apps

Google has been quirted by malwares often. The latest one to plague Android apps is an adware called SimBad.

Discovered by Check Point, the SimBad adware affected 206 apps listed on Goole Play, all of which have now been reportedly removed after Google was notified about the same. The infected ads collectively clocked over 150 million downloads and could be exploited by bad actors to show ads, generate phishing pages, and open a specific URL in the web browser.

The SimBad adware was discovered by Check Point’s Mobile Threat Team and gets its name from the fact that a majority of infected applications were simulator games.

Some of the more popular affected apps include Snow Heavy Excavator Simulator (10 million downloads), Hoverboard Racing (five million downloads), and Real Tractor Farming Simulator (five million downloads). But other culprits include volume-boosting apps, photo editors, and live wallpapers.

Checkpoint says that once a SimBad-enabled app is installed, the adware connects to command and control servers for further actions. The firm says SimBad is capable of opening phishing URLs in your browser, specific Play Store or app market pages (giving exposure to other sketchy apps), and even remotely installing apps.

The security company says SimBad works like adware right now, but adds that it “already has the infrastructure to evolve into a much larger threat.”

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