If you are unsure which app is causing the problem, then follow these steps for all the apps you most recently downloade d. Go to Settings and then to your Applications section, locate the app you want to get rid of, clear the cache and data, and then uninstall it. If you did accidentally install an app infected with adware onto your Android phone you can try a quick fix. The collected search history is often sold to third parties as well. Some adware can also track search and browsing history to display ads that are more relevant to the user, and thus will more likely be clicked. Generally, the goal of adware is to make money, generating revenue for the developer via each ad click. While not as threatening to your device as a typical malware, adware is not without its dangers. Besides its annoying ads that would take over the screen, t he Square Photo Blur app also managed to launch an OOC web browser. For example, ads would be set off from unlocking the phone, charging the phone, uninstalling an app, or switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data. A lmost every action performed on the device triggered a code in the app that made an ad pop up.

Once installed the launch icon disappeared as did the “open” function on the Play Store. One app that the Satori team researched more closely in their investigation was the Square Photo Blur app. This made it hard for users to find and remove the apps and kept them on phones for longer.

In addition, once users installed one of these apps injected with adware, the launch icons would disappear from their phones. These malicious Android apps were initially able to avoid detection as they were running out-of-context (OOC) ads. The WhiteOps Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team discovered the malicious activity and has posted a full list of the apps that should be uninstalled immediately. The apps – mostly photo blur apps – already had 3.5 million downloads. The fight against adware continues with Google recently removing 29 apps from the Play Store.

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