Over 20 Android apps found with dangerous PhoneSpy spyware, you should delete them now

Although the PhoneSpy-infected apps have not made their way to the Google Play Store, people are still somehow falling into the trap and downloading them.

A new spyware may be targeting your Android phone and trying to steal your personal data, researchers have found. PhoneSpy is a new spyware campaign that has most South Korean users of Android devices in clutches right now, but it will only be a matter of time till it spreads elsewhere. Researchers have noted that this spyware does not leverage existing vulnerabilities of a device but hides in plain sight on it by posing as a legitimate app, such as one for yoga instructions or streaming videos.

The biggest risk that PhoneSpy could be posing to your Android phone is by stealthily uninstalling mobile security apps, researchers at mobile security firm Zimperium have discovered. PhoneSpy was found hiding inside as many as 23 apps that look benign and genuine, much like any other legitimate Android app. But it can do more harm than just stealing the identity of Android apps. Researchers said PhoneSpy can access the camera of the phone it has targeted and use it to take photos and record videos in real time without the user's knowledge. These photos and videos could be a way to commit personal or corporate blackmail, but they can also be used to commit cyber-espionage.