Android Apps Stealing Passwords Published in the Google Play Store

A team of engineers from Intel Security discovered a series of apps published in the Google Play Store that attempted to steal Instagram users’ passwords.

All apps were available for free and were typically advertised as solutions that could help Instagram users increase the number of followers.

In a post today, on McAfee’s blog, the engineers reveal that the malware apps were primarily aimed at Turkish Instagram users, but anyone could download them from the Google Play Store. Their names, however, seem to point mainly to Turkish targets.

Once the apps were installed on users’ Android smartphones, they required Instagram login credentials, redirecting users to a simple phishing website prompting for the username and password.

“The malware lead victims to a phishing website that steals Instagram account passwords using the WebView component. The de...