Samsung is one of the few brands that offers a second solution to system apps you get on an Android smartphone when you boot it up for the first time. This includes its own browser, its own voice assistant and even its own app store. The Samsung Galaxy Store, doesn’t have quite the selection that the Google Play Store offers, but a new report by Android Police suggests it has a bigger problem.
The Galaxy Store is reportedly infested with fake clone apps, which could possibly carry malware. Multiple clones of the Showbox app were recently found on the app and these could have been downloaded by a many unsuspecting customers. |Samsung Galaxy S21 FE spotted in unboxing video ahead of launch
Twitter user Max Weinbach recently took to Twitter pointing out the existence of these clone apps, also touching on a similar problem he once found on Huawei smartphones. Check out the tweet below.The report adds that an analysis of the app at VirusTotal shows multiple “low-grade alerts from security vendors ranging from “riskware” to adware.” These apps will also ask for permission to sensitive data for functioning, including access to contacts, call logs, and the telephone.
Interestingly, when users try to install these clone apps from the Galaxy Store, the Google Play Protect feature on Android phones kicks in to warn users of the potential risks of installing such an app. However, the fact that multiple such apps exist on the official Samsung app store is worrying.OEMs that have their own app store on custom Android skins are known to push users towards using their own app stores instead of the Google Play Store for downloading new apps and games as well as updating existing ones. This includes the Galaxy Store on OneUI, GetApps on MIUI and some more examples.
While pushing users to use your own store is not a problem, the presence of harmful apps on a platform that should be risk-free, is an issue. Hopefully, Samsung gets rid of these apps and keep an eye on future fake apps trying to get on the Galaxy Store
HIGHLIGHTS
- Samsung’s Galaxy Store features fake streaming apps, which possibly include malware.
- A similar type of issue was previously also discovered on Huawei phones.
- Users are advised to install an anti-virus app from Google Play Store.
Samsung Galaxy Store seems to have some malware-ridden apps, as per a report published by Android Police. It is one of the major app stores and is present on every Samsung smartphone, along with Google Play Store. It has been discovered that a bunch of streaming apps could possibly include malware.
The cited source suggests that Samsung’s Galaxy Store features several clones of the Showbox app, which is a popular app known for offering movies and TV series for free. The report asserts that around five clones of Showbox were found on the Store that are possibly malicious.
The report suggested that a similar type of issue was also once discovered on Huawei smartphones. Furthermore, Virustotal’s analysis report of the app also showed over “a dozen low-grade alerts” from security vendors ranging from "riskware" to adware.
Some of the apps also take unnecessary permissions, including access to call logs, contacts, and the telephone. The report also stated that when a user tries to install these apps, Google's Play Protect issues a warning to them that the app could be potentially dangerous.
What you can do to protect your smartphone?
One should first check if they have installed any of the malware-ridden apps and immediately remove them. Users are also advised to install an anti-virus app from Google Play Store such as Kaspersky, and Norton 360.
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