Google has banished 13 Android apps from its Play marketplace after security researchers found the apps made unauthorized downloads and attempted to gain root privileges that allowed them to survive factory resets.

One of the 13 apps, which was known as They are part of a malware family dubbed Brain Test Honeycomb, had as many as one million downloads before it was removed, according to researchers from Lookout, the mobile security provider that spotted the malicious entries. The apps boasted a large number of downloads and highly favorable user ratings, presumably thanks to the ability of one app to automatically download other apps and then leave rave user reviews for them.

These apps are often able to root the infected device and install themselves as system applications. That can make them hard to remove using conventional methods, such as the uninstall button or factory reset in the Android options menu.

The best option for removing Brain Test apps is to back up any data worth keeping and then reflash the ROM supplied by the device maker. As always, people should remain cautious and alert when downloading Android apps and be aware that even when apps have been admitted to Google Play and receive a large number of positive reviews, there’s no guarantee that they can be trusted.

https://techmzy./2016/01/07/malicious-apps-in-google-play-making-unauthorized-downloads-in-some-users-phone/