The joker malware was first reported on Google Play Store and accounting for many apps being pushed out of the app store for being infected. Now people behind the malware seem to have equipped themselves better and have stretched to other apps stores. Reportedly almost 500,000 Huawei smartphones may have been affected by the joker malware that unknowingly subscribes the infected device to premium mobile services.
As said, the joker malware has been doing rounds on the Play Store for quite some time but this is the first time it has been reported on the Huawei AppGallery. According to Russian antivirus firm Doctor Web, as noted by Bleeping Computers, the malware was discovered hidden within at least 10 harmless apps on the Huawei platform.
Even though it’s reported that the apps functioned as intended, they ran the malicious activity in the background. The malicious code deceitfully subscribed the user to premium mobile service.
Currently, it was found that the malware capped the subscription per user to five premium services. It is however believed that the nefarious act can be increased by any margin at will. While this may sound threatening, there is also possibility of the joker attaining access to contacts and text messages to spread the malware amid contacts.
It’s interesting to note that a major chunk of the infected apps is from a single developer. Even though the apps in question have been downloaded over half a million times, Huawei has removed the questionable apps from the AppGallery.
