Google removes 16 apps infected by Agent Smith malware, if your phone has any of these you should delete too
The Agent Smith malware has infected 16 apps on Android and Google has already removed them from the Play Store. Android users need to uninstall these apps manually from their phones.
In Short
- Google has removed 16 apps from the Play Store that re infected by Agent Smith.
- Users should uninstall these apps manually if installed on phone.
- It is advised to do a factory reset in order to completely get rid of this malware.
Every now and then, Android keeps getting visited from deadly malware attacks that put user and their data at lots of risks. This time, it's a new malware called Agent Smith and like its name, this malware is sneaky in what it's designed to do - bombard your phone with ads. Agent Smith also has properties to stick to other apps installed on the phone and ensure that the malware infection stays the same. The malware was first detected by Check Point and after working with Google, the infected apps have been removed from Google Play Store.
After it was informed of the infection, Google has identified and removed 16 apps from the Play Store that are known to be infected by Agent Smith. These apps are no longer available for download from the Play Store and there won't be further updates for these apps via the Play Store. However, Google can only remove the app from the Play Store but it can't wipe these apps from an individual's Android phone. Hence, if you have the following apps installed on your Android phone, you should uninstall them immediately.
--Ludo Master - New Ludo Game 2019 For Free
--Sky Warriors: General Attack
--Color Phone Flash - Call Screen Theme
--Bio Blast - Infinity Battle Shoot virus
--Shooting Jet
--Photo Projector
--Gun Hero - Gunman Game for Free
--Cooking Witch
--Blockman Go: Free Realms & Mini Games
--Crazy Juicer - Hot Knife Hit Game & Juice Blast
--Clash of Virus
--Angry Virus
--Rabbit Temple
--Star Range
--Kiss Game: Touch Her Heart
--Girl Cloth Xray Scan Simulator
Therefore, if you have any of these apps and games installed on your Android phone, you should immediately uninstall these. However, do know that Agent Smith can cling on to other popular apps and make it difficult for users to identify which app has been affected by it. Two most popular apps in India include WhatsApp - through which it has infected 1.5 crore Android phones, and Flipkart.
If you see obscene ads popping up on your phone too much, you should install an antivirus service from the Play Store and scan the storage for such apps. Additionally, as a good practice, you should always download apps from Play Store and avoid third-party sources. More than that, in order to completely wide off Agent Smith from your device, it is advisable to do a Factory Reset on your device.