Delete these free VPN apps from your Android phone before they turn you into a cybercriminal!

Have you noticed that there have been far fewer reports of malicious apps wreaking havoc on Android devices over the past few months than usual? Unfortunately, this still doesn't mean that Google's Play Store is free from all security threats, as a new widespread issue originating from where we all install our apps is revealed today.

Have you unintentionally broken any laws?

Let us ease your biggest concern by pointing out that you cannot be sued or accused of anything illegal that might have been done with the help of your phone after installing any of the 28 apps infected by this new type of malware.

Admittedly, the search giant reacted to these chilling revelations in the only acceptable way we can think of, by removing all new dangerous apps from its Play Store while disabling them on devices where they are already installed . That is, if the Google Play Protect feature is enabled, which you absolutely must do at all times.

Before listing all the apps that you need to delete from your phone if Play Protect is disabled or for some reason the tool fails to do its job, it is important to point out that a few of these titles are actually returned to Google Play without any problems. trace of malicious code in them. Does this make them safe to use? Theoretically, yes, but we can totally understand if you've developed trust issues and prefer to install alternatives with an impeccable security record.

Get rid of the following apps now!

As you can easily notice, many of these apps have one thing in common: a free VPN (Virtual Private Network) service. This seems like a very compelling proposition when some of the best premium VPNs on the market are available for between $3 and $10 per month. So it's quite easy to understand how millions and millions of people were duped into joining Proxylib's shenanigans.

This is the first app from the malicious batch discovered in June 2023, although it is (theoretically) safe to use if you download it now.

These essentially routed traffic from one device to another to conduct ad fraud and other malicious activities known as password spraying and credential stuffing attacks. Hackers used IP addresses without user approval or notification to hide the true origin of their attacks and make money through advertising using bots and your own phones.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and unfortunately we can't really know exactly what cybercrimes your IP addresses were involved in, for how long, and how much online and personal damage they may have caused between June 2023 and February 2024 and even before the date on which the first application carrying Proxylib was discovered.