36.5M Android Phones Could Be Infected With ‘Judy’ Malware

Reports came out last week that a new type of malware of unknown origins might have infected as many as 36.5 million Android devices. It was spread by 41 apps that a Korean development company created, which was then hosted by Google Play. This would make the infection rate one of the most significant in the history of the Android app store.

The infection was first noticed by security firm Check Point, which has been responsible for bringing awareness to similar cases in the past, PC Mag reports. According to the company’s report on the matter, the apps that carried the malware were made by Kiniwini and was published under the guise of another company name, ENISTUDIO Corp.

“The malware, dubbed “Judy”, is an auto-clicking adware which was found on 41 apps developed by a Korean company,” the security firm writes. “The malware uses infected devices to generate large amounts of fraudulent clicks on advertisements, generating revenues for the perpetrators behind it. The malicious apps reached an astonishing spread between 4.5 million and 18.5 million downloads.”

In any case, the malware was also spread by other apps made by other companies, many of which were last updated back in 2016. As a result, the total number of infected devices could have reached 36.5 million or more, depending on exactly how many apps carried the malware and how many times they were downloaded.

As Fortune notes, other apps that had malware managed to beat Google Play’s screening process in the past. With regards to the actual damage that the Judy malware caused, Check Point also did not manage to discover whether or not the infected devices had their data compromised in any way. On the other hand, it is a little disturbing that the malware was able to evade detection for so long.