Lately, the number of malicious applications that Google regularly removes is increasing day by day. Zscaler ThreatLabz security researchers, There were 200 dangerous applications in the Play Store in the last twelve months he explained. It was stated that these applications were downloaded a total of 8 million times, demonstrating the severity of the number of phones reached by malicious applications.

According to Zscaler’s Mobile, IoT & OT Threat Report, these malicious applications appeared in the Google Play Store between June 2023 and May 2024. The Android banking malware called Anatsa targeted more than 650 financial institutions and used PDF and QR code reader applications to spread itself.

200 dangerous applications were downloaded 8 million times

While the financial sector remains a prime target for such attacks, spyware has also become far more prevalent than other threats. Researchers, Recent attacks have targeted personal data and identity information. he declared.

From a geographic perspective, according to Zscaler, the top target for cybercriminals is the US, followed by Japan, China, Singapore and Germany. When examining only mobile malware, India stands out as the most targeted country. Our country is not among the top 10 countries on the list..

Google continues to take a proactive stance against these threats. Tools like Chrome’s Play Protect and Safe Browsing have recently had great success in detecting and removing malware entering the Play Store. As you know, Play Protect regularly scans users’ devices, detects dangerous applications, sends notifications to the user if necessary, or automatically removes harmful applications.