Android owners urged to delete two Chinese spyware apps that could be lurking in your device TODAY

ANDROID owners have been urged to delete two Chinese spyware apps that could be lurking in your device.

Anyone with the apps ‘File Recovery & Data Recovery’ and ‘File Manager’ are being told to remove them manually as they are scraping personal information. 

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These apps engage in deceptive behaviour and secretly send sensitive user data to malicious servers in China, reports cybersecurity firm Pradeo.

Stolen data includes contact lists connected to email accounts, social networks and those stored on the device.

While Android users’ pictures, videos and real-time user location are also vulnerable.

Pradeo made the discovery and reported the malicious apps to Google – the tech giant has since removed them.

The cybersecurity firm also revealed that the two apps hide their home screen icons, making finding and removing them more difficult. 

The apps, updated at the end of June, abuse the permissions the user approves during installation in order to restart the device and launch in the background.

To uninstall the malicious apps, users need to open Settings and then select Apps to see the list of applications running on the device.

HOW TO STAY SAFE

An app dubbed Google Play Protect app can help keep Android users’ personal information protected from harmful malware and scammers.

It’s available for free to all Android users via the Google Play store and can deter harmful cyber-attacks.

The feature works by checking apps to see if they’re safe before you download them.

Moreover, Play Protect can scan your entire device for malware and dangerous apps on your phone.

Malware is a malicious file or code that can infect your phone or computer.

“Play Protect is built into every device with Google Play, is always updating, and automatically takes action to keep your data and device safe, so you don’t have to lift a finger,” Google noted on its blog.

HOW TO ENABLE PLAY PROTECT

To enable Play Protect, open the Google Play Store app and then tap your profile icon in the top right.

Tap Settings, and then look under About to see if your device is Play Protect certified.

To turn it on or off, open the Play Store and then tap the profile icon.

Tap Play Protect > Settings and then turn Scan Apps With Play Protect on or off.

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