A recent discovery revealed that several Samsung Galaxy Store apps infect Android phones with malware. The said Samsung malware has the capability to access your contacts, call records and phone.
Samsung Galaxy Store Apps Affect Phones With Malware
For those who do not know, Samsung's app marketplace is known as the Galaxy Store. It is also accessible on the Google Play Store and all the company's Android devices.
If you use it frequently, there are a few apps in the Galaxy Store that might infect your phone with malware.
Surprisingly, these malware-infected applications were ever made available for download on the Galaxy Store. Given the vast quantity of Samsung devices on the market, it has the potential to infect many of them, per Sam Mobile.
The said Samsung Galaxy Store apps that have malware are identified as Showbox-based applications.
Showbox is a well-known pirate service for movies and TV shows that have been operating for a while. It allowed users to watch illegal videos on their phones and tablets.
Although the original application appears to have been discontinued, multiple Showbox clones are available for download on the Galaxy Store.
In addition to this, Android Police's Max Weinbach spotted a few Showbox-based applications on the Galaxy Store, some of which prompt Google's Play Protect warning when loaded.
Surprisingly, the said warning is not considered in vain.
A VirusTotal examination of one of the Showbox apps revealed over a dozen low-grade security alarms ranging from "riskware" to adware. Some of the applications also ask for more rights than you may think, such as access to your contacts, call records, and phone.
For additional details on these vulnerabilities, Android Police reached out to Android security analyst Linuxct.
Upon further analysis, it was discovered that the app's ad tech is capable of dynamic code execution. This only means that while the program may not directly contain malware, it may download and execute other code, which may include a malware.
"So at any moment it may become a trojan/malware, hence it's unsafe and thus why so many vendors flagged it in VT/Play Protect," Linuxct explained through Android Police.
Samsung users must note that these apps are all clones of Showbox.
How Does Showbox App Works?
According to the app's description, it claims that it does not contain pirated material or allow piracy.
Given the nature of the warnings associated with their installation, Android Police furthered that they haven't checked each of the infringing apps individually and can't confirm if they now enable access to pirated content.
The name, on the other hand, has that reputation, and other "experts" who prefer anonymity informed Android Police that the software formerly allowed piracy.
Showbox's self-hosted sources make similar claims, advertising the software as a "movie database" app with a built-in VPN.
3 Samsung Galaxy Store Apps to Avoid the Samsung Malware
Since this Samsung malware can access vital information, Weinbach shared three Shadowbox-based Samsung Galaxy Store apps that you should not download to prevent being a victim of the said malware.
- Movie App
- Mirroring Phone to TV
- Move to iOS Data Transfer
Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to determine how many times these malicious apps have been downloaded since the Galaxy Store doesn't publish an install count for an application.
However, these applications have hundreds of reviews, which means it is not a small percentage.
Samsung has yet to respond to the situation.
Lastly, it is also worth considering why apps with a reputation for encouraging piracy exist on the Galaxy Store in the first place.
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