Google Spikes 300 Apps Used for Cyberattacks

Google has removed several hundred apps from its app store after it was discovered they were being used to conduct cyberattacks.

Gizmodo reported roughly 300 apps were pulled from the Google Play store. The apps offered things like ringtones and video players, but they were actually designed to play a role in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks — which can take large numbers of websites offline by overloading servers.

"We identified approximately 300 apps associated with the issue, blocked them from the Play Store, and we're in the process of removing them from all affected devices," a Google spokesperson told Gizmodo. "The researchers' findings, combined with our own analysis, have enabled us to better protect Android users, everywhere."

The botnet is called WireX and was identified this month when it attacked a company using Akamai, a content delivery network. Researchers worked backward from there and were able to isolate the virus.

Google also removed apps from its store this month containing covert surveillance software and a form of malware.

A major DDoS attack occurred last October, knocking several major websites offline. That attack used hundreds of thousands of Internet-connected devices to spread malicious software.

Another cyberattack in May affected at least 150 countries.

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