Despite Google's best efforts, more than a dozen adware apps that can slow down devices and even infect them with malware have been downloaded more than 2 million times from the Play Store

As reported by BleepingComputer, antivirus firm Dr Web, in its latest mobile threat report, identified several Trojans belonging to the FakeApp, Joker, and HiddenAds malware families on the Google Play Store on the Google Play Store

Some of these adware apps masquerade as games, others as messaging apps or utilities But surprisingly, some of these apps are completely fake, luring unsuspecting users to casino sites

If you have one of the best android phones and don't want to drain your battery or fall prey to nasty malware infections due to ads running in the background, then if you have these apps installed on your device, these We recommend that you uninstall all of these apps

After discovering these adware apps on the Play Store, Dr Web's security researchers contacted Google and they have now all been removed However, if you have any of these apps installed on your smartphone, you will need to remove them manually Below are all of the adware apps in question, along with the number of times they have been downloaded from the Play Store:

HiddenAds app:

FakeApp app:

Joker app:

Other malicious Like other malicious apps identified in the past, once installed on a victim's smartphone, these adware apps use several tricks to hide themselves These include replacing the icon with a Google Chrome icon or using transparent icon images that leave empty space in the app drawer

For those unfamiliar with adware apps, a brief explanation is that adware apps basically run surreptitiously in the background of your phone and use your browser to display ads While these ads are never displayed, they can make money for the cybercriminals behind this campaign while draining your battery and slowing down your device's performance

When it comes to the malware these apps use, those from the FakeApp family send unsuspecting users to investment scam sites and fake online casino sites Adware apps, including the Joker malware, on the other hand, induce users to subscribe to premium subscription services without their knowledge Finally, adware apps using the HiddenAds malware, as the name implies, display hidden ads on smartphones in the background

The easiest way to protect your device and yourself from adware and malicious apps is to first limit the number of apps on your phone While you can install many apps on an inexpensive phone, it is not recommended that you install them, as they are likely to contain malicious apps

In addition to limiting the number of apps you install, you should also consider using one of the best Android antivirus apps for additional protection However, if your budget is limited, Google Play Protect scans both existing apps and new apps you download for malware In fact, real-time scanning was recently added to Google Play Protect, and when you install a new app, Android's built-in antivirus recommends that you run an app scan to check if the app is safe before installing it If something dangerous is found, Google Play Protect will block the app and prevent it from being installed

You also want to carefully check the ratings, reviews, and developer information for any app you install However, ratings and reviews can be faked, so it is a good idea to look for outside reviews on other sites Video reviews are especially helpful because they allow you to see how the app in question works before deciding to download it

Adware apps and malware continue to be quite useful to cybercriminals However, if you exercise caution before installing new apps and avoid giving them unnecessary permissions, you should be able to safely protect yourself from the threats they pose