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Google removes malicious apps from Android smartphones

Google has used a “kill switch” to remove malicious apps from Android phones.

Around 58 infected apps were found in the Android marketplace earlier this month and estimates suggest that as many as 200,000 smartphone users may have downloaded them. The programmes included games and other apps which hid data-stealing code.

Google announced on its blog this week that it had used a “kill switch” mechanism which allowed it to remotely remove the malware from infected users’ mobile phones. The apps have also been removed from the marketplace and legal authorities were informed of the activity. The accounts of the developers who uploaded the apps were suspended, Google said.

The company has also launched a security update which will address loopholes that could be exploited by malicious apps. Google said the update should reach phones within 72 hours. It says a number of other measures will also be launched which prevent future attacks by malicious apps and fix any underlying security flaws.

Google said that it believed that the hacker(s) had only accessed device-specific codes which identify mobile devices. However, it acknowledged that other data could have been accessed.