Infected QR reader has been downloaded 500,000 times from the Play Store

Some of you that have downloaded QR code apps might be infected with an Android-based virus. In a recent report by SophosLabs’ Naked Security, it states that the infected apps have been downloaded more than 500,000 times before being removed from the Play Store.

They have detected the apps have the Andr/HiddnAd-AJ malware in several of these apps. Out of the apps, six of which are QR code scanners and another is a Smart Compass app, these apps were reported to Google and have now been pulled from the Play Store. The apps did function as promised but after a few hours, the virus will activate and bombard users with advertisements like full-screen ads, push notification with ad links and automatically opening web pages.

A closer look shows that one of the apps is a Verified by Play Protect app which indicates that Google has checked the app and ensured that it will cause no harm to the user’s phone. If you have downloaded any of the apps in the image above, it’s best that you immediately delete the app and perform a hard reset before the virus takes action.