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Watch out for North Korean spyware apps on the Google Play store
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
Android users should be careful what they download from the Google Play store, as security researchers recently found a selection of apps which contained North Korean spyware hosted there. The five affected apps appeared to be benign system utilities like file managers, but once installed could collect personal information like SMS messages, call logs, and device location.
The spyware apps were identified by Lookout Threat Lab, which highlighted the following apps in both English and Korean: 휴대폰 관리자 (Phone Manager), File Manager, 스마트 관리자 (Smart Manager), 카카오 보안 (Kakao Security), and Software Update Utility. These apps have since been removed from the Play Store by Google.
The apps used a new surveillance tool called KoSpy, thought to originate from a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group called ScarCruft or APT37.
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“KoSpy is a new Android spyware attributed to the North Korean group APT37. It masquerades as utility apps and targets Korean and English speaking users,” the security researchers Lookout Threat Lab warned. “KoSpy can collect extensive data, such as SMS messages, call logs, location, files, audio, and screenshots via dynamically loaded plugins.”
The apps that were affected didn’t really work as they said they did: some of them did perform some functions with basic interfaces that opened up Android settings view, while others did not function at all and showed only a fake system window. But once installed, the apps could download plugins and collect surveillance information. Some of the information the apps could surveil included data on SMS messages, call logs, device location, local files and folders, recording screenshots and key strokes, and even recording audio or taking photos with the phone’s cameras.
Now that the apps have been removed from the Play Store it’s not clear how many people may have downloaded them and been affected, but it’s a good reminder to check the sources and reputation of apps before you download them and give them access to your device.
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
TikTok returns to Apple, Google app stores in U.S.
The TikTok saga continues. Apple reinstated the popular app to the App Store on Thursday evening, and a short while later Google followed suit and put it back on the Play Store. The move came after Attorney General Pam Bondi reportedly sent a letter to the tech giants assuring them that they will not face any penalties in relation to a law that banned the app in the U.S. last month.
Both Apple and Google removed TikTok from their respective U.S. app stores on January 18, the day before the law banning the app went into effect. Then, on January 20, newly elected President Trump signed an executive order granting TikTok a 75-day reprieve from the ban to give his administration “an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward.”
Tired of downloading terrible apps? This Google Play Store update will help
The Google Play Store has an estimated 3.3 million apps available, but they most certainly are not all created equal. Some are no longer updated, some don’t work the way they’re meant to, and others are just plain terrible — but a new update to the Play Store could make finding the diamonds in the rough much easier.
This update is already live for some users, but it’s still rolling out to others. When browsing the Play Store, warnings will appear just below the app information and provide a high-level overview of its performance. For example, it might warn that an app is frequently uninstalled, or the app might not get as much engagement compared to others, according to Android Authority.
A native Android Apple TV app is now in the Google Play store
It’s been five years since the Apple TV app was launched, and we’re now getting a version for Android devices — built from the ground up for native Android integration — in the Google Play store that will have the same Apple TV+ functionality as the Apple ecosystem version. The new app means users with Android OS 10 or later will finally have the ability to sign up for Apple TV+ on their Android-based phones and tablets to watch shows and movies like Severance, Silo, Killers of the Flower Moon, and CODA. There will be no difference in pricing on Android compared to Apple.
This should enable seamless interactivity across platforms for features such as Continue Watching — which keeps track of where you are in a show or movie and allows you to pick up from that spot when you return, regardless of the device you watch on. Customer’s Watchlist will be kept up to date across devices as well, and since purchases are linked to your Apple account, all the content you own will be accessible on any device with the new updated app. One thing missing at launch, though, will be the ability to cast Apple TV content from your Android device.
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