Digital security experts at MalwareBytes have discovered that a popular Android app called Barcode Scanner has turned into malware that opens its own browser and displays intrusive ads.
The developer of the barcode scanner application is Lavabird Ltd., which has successfully distributed it through the official Google digital content store for several years. For several years the application has received a good reputation, it has been downloaded and installed more than 10 million times.
The app was even part of the Google Play Pass program, which allows Android users to pay $ 4.99 per month or $ 29.99 per year to install unlimited apps at no additional cost. The subscriber and up to five members of the group / family could use the application at the same time.
That all changed in December when the developers released another update. After that, the app began to advertise apps for cleaning Android smartphones from unnecessary files and extending the battery life. Yes, this software did delete the files remaining after the removal of other applications, however, users confirmed that the smartphone began to display advertising content too often.
It’s worth noting that there are many alternatives on Google Play, and you can use the Google Lens app to scan barcodes, which is available on a large number of smartphones.
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