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Not only in the Google Play Store but also in Apple’s App Store, there are occasionally dangerous apps that can cause serious problems for users. These include the following apps, which you should delete: They can be dangerous in many different ways.

Delete the app: Watch out for these 5 examples
If you find a dodgy app on your mobile phone, it’s always a good idea to delete it. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can generally feel a little safer, as Apple checks the apps in its App Store very thoroughly and ensures that potentially risky apps don’t get in.

Android users, on the other hand, are more at risk from malware and criminals. They can more easily circumvent the security measures and smuggle software into the Play Store for download via third-party sources. You should, therefore, be particularly careful if you use a smartphone with the Google operating system.

In any case, it is important to read reviews and ratings for any application that has caught your interest before downloading it. Just one malicious app can be enough for you to be hacked and your data stolen. For example, experts recommend staying away from these five apps.

1 SuperVPN

This is not the first time the application has come to the attention of experts. As early as 2020, they advised users to delete the SuperVPN app. And only recently, in 2023, analysts concluded that it is ‘one of the most dangerous and unreliable free VPNs we have tested’.
The reasons for this are manifold: the application has ‘invasive logging processes, weak security features, worrying connections to China and cannot unblock web content’. They warned against using this VPN and recommended ‘uninstalling it immediately’.

2 Noizz

Behind this application is a popular editor for video editing and music. It was downloaded around 100 million times in the Google Play Store in 2023. It was later discovered, according to Bleeping Computer, that the application contains malicious software that can jeopardise your device.

Specifically, it is a relatively new Android malware known as ‘SpinOk’ that can steal private data stored on users’ devices and send it to a remote server. It simulates mini-games to arouse the user’s interest.

While these are displayed in the app, the malware performs malicious functions in the background, including listing data in directories, searching for specific information, uploading files from the device, or copying and replacing clipboard contents.

3 Fake ChatGPT apps

Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the ChatGPT AI bot, it was inevitable that fake variants of it would emerge, some containing malicious code. A fake ChatGPT app recently brought malware to the PCs of many users.

It is, therefore, also important not to fall for fake Open AI/ChatGPT apps that appear on both Google Play and the App Store. They often look exactly like the original. However, they may contain so-called fleeceware that tries to steal money from you.

4 Essential Horoscope

Many horoscope apps are fun for their users. In the case of Essential Horoscope for Android, this assumption led to more than 100,000 downloads on Google Play. Only then did experts from McAfee discover that it contained malware called Xamalicious.

This uses the open-source framework Xamarin to hide itself on infected devices. It can then take full control to carry out fraudulent actions without the consent of those affected. This includes, for example, the secret installation of other apps.

5 UC web browser

This browser is only available for Android and belongs to the Chinese company Alibaba via its developer, UCWeb. However, according to cybersecurity experts, the app does not adequately protect data transfers, as Shefinds explains. This can lead to personal information becoming vulnerable to criminals and attacks.

Sources: top10vpn, Bleeping Computer, McAfee, Shefinds/futurezone.at/picture: Bild von StockSnap auf Pixabay