The ‘Joker’ virus is back, this time it was found in 16 apps
It is worth noting that this virus did surface before as well, this was not its first appearance. It first appeared way back in 2017. Well, it’s now back, and it once again managed to create havoc for some people, as it managed to hide in a number of apps. According to a cybersecurity company, Zscaler, which got cited by La Razon, names of 16 apps popped up. These 16 apps all contain malicious code that reveals the ‘Joker’ virus. The apps in question are Private SMS, Hummingbird PDF Converter – Photo to PDF, Style Photo Collage, Talent Photo Editor – Blur focus, Paper Doc Scanner, All Good PDF Scanner, Care, Message, Part Message, Blue Scanner, Direct Messenger, One Sentence Translator, Multifunctional Translator, Mint Leaf Message-Your Private Message, Unique Keyboard – Fancy, Fonts & Free Emoticons, Tangram App Lock, Desire Translate, and Meticulous Scanner.
If you have any of those apps installed, remove them immediately
If you happen to have any of these apps installed on your phone, you should remove them immediately. Even if Google removes an app from the Play Store, it will remain installed on your phone, so just make sure none of these are. So, what harm can the ‘Joker’ do? Well, it can subscribe to your payment service without your authorization, and basically empty your bank accounts. In other words, it can do a lot of damage. It belongs to a family of malware known as ‘Bread’. The main goal of such malicious code is to hack smartphone bills, and authorize operations without the user’s consent. The ‘Joker’ can also enter text messages, contacts, and other information on infected smartphones. All in all, make sure that none of these apps are installed on your phone, and you’re good to go.
