Top 8 Apps infected by Joker Malware, remove them right now

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So, this is a very trending news that the “Joker Malware” is back again. This malware has infected the most useful eight apps.

Before going to the Apps let us discuss some points…

What is Joker Malware?

This is a kind of malware that was introduced earlier only. And when it was new it had infected more than hundreds of apps on Play Store.

But at that time Google had removed those apps, an got rid of the situation.

 Now, the Joker malware is back to hit Google. The Quick Heal Security Lab’s researchers have detected eight apps that are on the Google Play Store that are in control of this Joker malware. We suggest you to delete them right away if you have installed them on your devices.

Joker is very most persistent malware strains and is rapidly targeting the Android devices.

The Joker malware is also quite relentless. Due to its unique source code it manages to find its path back into the Google Play Store. This is done in an interval of few months. This malware manages to get back its position on the Play Store by doing changes in its code, execution method, and/or its payload-reversing techniques.

And this malware has already done his work with some of the popular eight Apps of the Google Play store.

These eight apps have been detected by the Quick Heal Security Labs and have been removed from the Google Play Store so it can’t be installed anymore.

But these apps are still present on some of the users’ phone who have installed them beforehand. They need to delete/remove those apps as earlier as possible.

As, per the Researchers this Joker malware steals users’ data including SMS, contact list data, device information, OTPs, and more.

The Joker Malware is very dangerous as it takes your data without your permission. Through this the developers can sell the user’s data for money.

Hope, so you all have understood about this “malware”.

Top 8 infected Apps are: -

1. Auxiliary Message

 

2. Fast Magic SMS

 

3. Free CamScanner

 

4. Super Message

 

5. Element Scanner

 

6. Go Messages

 

7. Travel Wallpapers

 

8. Super SMS

These are the list of the apps infected by this relentless malware.

Delete these Applications right now. Otherwise, your security will be at risk.

How Joker Malware works?

From the Quick Heal Labs’ report, in the first step these applications would ask for notification access at launch and would then take SMS data from these very notifications.

At the second step they would ask for contact access and manages to take phone call permissions as well.  After these two steps these apps start monitoring its data beside working normally.

The special thing of these malwares is that while working normally it doesn’t even show any kind of malicious signs.

So, that they can’t be suspected by the users.

And from Quick Heals’ reports, claims that the malware authors spread these applications on the Google Play Store in apps used for scanning, wallpaper changing apps, message sending apps.  As they become popular quickly because of their utility use-cases.

One more reason behind their growth is that these kinds of apps are greatly in use. More and more are installing these apps daily. So, these kinds of apps are only mainly focused.

Now, we have talked about its spread and all very much. So, we should also know that how we can get rid of these kinds of Jokers.

How do I get rid of Joker Malware?

Well, from the above lines and paragraphs you all have must understood how dangerous is this.

So, we should not only discuss about its spread and working. Beside that we should also focus on how can we be safe from these malwares.

As mentioned above that these malwares attacks on the regular time. So, preventing them will not be too easy. You need to be updated about what’s going on the internet.

From this you will be updated by all kinds of Cyber Attacks and also will come to know about these kinds of Joker Malware.

Always try to scan the applications or software downloaded form internet. As there are many smart people who combine the payloads or the viruses with the applications and also with the softwares.

Not only this you need to scan even the multimedia files for the same reason. As we know that people are very much found of music and dance so, a special scan to all these.

Now, you all must be thinking that how can we scan all these. So, for that please follow the steps given below.

Follow the steps for Scanning. 

Step1: Open any browser.

Step2: Search for “virustotal.com”. It’s a genuine site for scanning the files form thousands of anti-virus softwares at a time.

Step3: After opening that site, click on the upload button and then select the file that you want to be scanned.

Step4: Wait for the scan to be completed and after completion it will show you that from which-which softwares it had been detected as a virus.

Step5: So, from doing this you can do the scanning from many softwares at a time and can also rely upon it.

But as a hacker, I will not recommend you to use this site as this distributes the result with the other anti-virus softwares. This is the main reason why this site is majorly not used by the Hackers.

Need not worry there are various methods to do this. While following the above steps only do a change of opening “NoDistribute.com” in place of “Virustotal.com”.

After opening of the NoDistribute, just follow the other steps of uploading the files. And these steps will be as same as the virustotal.

But the major difference will be that this site doesn’t share the outcome i.e., the result to the other softwares. And this is liked by the hackers to keep the things “Anonymous”.

Hope so you all will follow the steps in order to support a hacker and to be safe form this malware.

 Joker Malware App list: -

1. Auxiliary Message

 

2. Fast Magic SMS

 

3. Free CamScanner

 

4. Super Message

 

5. Element Scanner

 

6. Go Messages

 

7. Travel Wallpapers

 

8. Super SMS

I have repeated these apps, as these can cause severe damage to our Android Phones.

If we will not remove these apps this will then send our contact details, SMS, OTPs (One Time Password), and many more things.

So, to get rid of these apps, uninstall if are installed your phone just delete them.

To delete these apps just long press on the App and click on the uninstall button. After this your malicious app will be removed from your device and you will be safe.

Another way to remove these apps is to open Google play store, search for these apps. After the results are shown, click on the uninstall button and it will be uninstalled by your phone.

Hope so these all steps will help you all in removing the Top 8 Apps infected by this Joker Malware.

What is the source code of this Malware? 

From our broad sources, we came to know that the source code of this malware is not revealed. And the reason behind this is explained by TechWiki.

Talking about its source code, it will not be revealed in the future. Since it is the root of the malware. If anyone knows about how it is made then it can be stooped by decoding it.

In simple terms the experts will then change its code to a non-harming malware.  Which will then fail the purpose if the Malware coders.

So, it is not revealed by its developers. And are safe by the Cyber Security Experts.

By these kinds of adware is it safe to install applications from Google Play Store. Let us discuss it in-depth…

Do Play store Apps contain Viruses? 

From the paragraphs we can say that “YES” Play store apps contain viruses. It is true after sometimes. Because, when the apps are developed and uploaded to play store, at that point of time they do not contain any kind of malicious codes in its root.

Since, play store scans the app before publishing it. And if any malicious activity is observed by the Google play store, then its launching is stopped.

But if Application passes to be launched, then the malicious codes are planted in it. This is done by its developers by giving an update in the app, to install the malicious code in its source code.

By this method they are on the Play Store without being noticed. And when it causes a very big damage then it is noticed by the Google and after sometime it is removed from the Play Store.

Now we can say it very clearly that there is a chance that the Google Play Store Apps can contain VIRUSES (Vital Input Resource Under Seized) in it.

Is it easy to remove these malicious Apps?

This is a very silly question. As it is already discussed above. But for our readers, we will discuss it again.

So, this is very easy to remove the 8 malicious apps. And I want to give good news that the 8 apps named above are only infected. That’s why it is not very hard to get rid off.

To remove those apps, you all just need to follow the steps given above. For that press “CTRL+F” and then search for “uninstall”. After that you will get the paragraphs of trick to remove these apps.

Can we download Joker Malware?

Well now we can’t get this malware. As it is removed by the Google. Also, it can’t be directly downloaded from internet. It can only be installed through the apps that were infected by it.

One more reason behind this is that its source code is not yet revealed and as told earlier it will never be revealed. Due to this reason, we can’t say that we are safe from it. But for some time, we are safe.

So, now this malware is totally removed from Play Store and Google, as this is the right step taken by Google to safe everyone’s data.

Will Joker Malware attack again in 2021?

Now looking back on its past records, we can’t say that it will not attack again in 2021.

Since this is not the first time it has attacked. It is the second time of its severe damage. This malware had attacked in 2016 or 2017 For the first time. So, no one can be perfect in saying that it will not attack in 2021.

90% percent of chances is there that it will attack again with a new strategy. Since, it is a self-replicating program. And it is also capable of both the ability to be updated by the developers and as told in the above line by self-replicating the source code.

Self-replication means changing in the root that is the source code by its own. This self-replicating technique is very powerful as this doesn’t involve any activity of human beings.

If this happens then it will be very difficult to decode this malware and stop its attack. But our Cyber Security Experts can handle all these situations.

Well after reading this everyone can say that it can attack again in 2021. So, we have to be well prepared for that and should always scan the items that we have taken from the open-source Internet, thinking that it is free.

My thoughts regarding this Malware?

Now I want to share my thoughts regarding this great malware. Yes, this is a great malware. Since, it is still not decoded by our Experts and they have stopped its spread just by deleting those top 8 apps from the Google Play Store.

Everyone reading this article will be thinking about this “great” word. I have told it ad a great malware because its very powerful, self-replicating, and undetectable.

Due to these characteristics, it is a good malware. And specially I want to know about its developers and want to ask them how they have created this “great malware”.

Conclusion

While concluding this article I must remind everyone about that 8 apps. That 8 apps must be deleted, if it is still in your phones.

Always try to scan the items downloaded or installed from the Internet, as thinking it is for free. Don’t visit unknown sites on internet and please don’t download any item from there.

Now, I want to end this article hoping for the good feedbacks from everyone.

 THANK YOU FOR YOUR VALUABLE TIME!!