Google has been making a lot of effort in trying to patch Android every month with monthly security patches. This ensures that your Android phone stays on top of things. However it seems that despite their best efforts, sometimes there are some things that slip past, such as a new “Godless” malware discovered by the folks at Trend Micro.This malware is said to be capable of downloading apps and installing them on mobile devices without users knowing, and all of this can be done remotely as well. According to Trend Micro, “With root privilege, the malware can then receive remote instructions on which app to download and silently install on mobile devices. This can then lead to affected users receiving unwanted apps, which may then lead to unwanted ads. Even worse, these threats can also be used to install backdoors and spy on users.”
The good news is that this seems to only affect devices running Android 5.1 Lollipop or older, which means that if you have Android 6.0 Marshmallow you should be safe. However given that Android’s distribution figures have indicated that Marshmallow is still on a minority of Android devices, this leaves a lot of Android phones open to the attack.
Trend Micro notes, “Based on the data gathered from our Trend Micro Mobile App Reputation Service, malicious apps related to this threat can be found in prominent app stores, including Google Play, and has affected over 850,000 devices worldwide.” That being said, there’s really nothing one can do about it, so be sure to double check who you’re downloading the app from and always check the reviews to see if other users might have left warning signs.