Malicious Apps Swarm the Google Play Store

A new report has revealed a number of harmful apps were present on the Google Play Store and stole thousands of passwords.

December 1, 2021 It's December 1, 2021, and National Eat a Red Apple Day! Fruit is great, so go bite into a bright red apple today, even if you rightfully prefer the green ones. And if you're on an Apple MacBook, iPad, or iMac, it's even more appropriate.     ⏰ Today's Big Stories... in 30 Seconds Today We Watched, Read, and Listened to (so you don't have to): 398 articles, 9 podcasts, 11 press releases, 326 tweets, and 11 YouTube videos 1. Malicious Apps on Google Play Downloaded Over 300,000 Times Some apps downloaded from the Google Play Store over the last few months were discovered to be stealing bank info. These apps posed as QR and PDF scanners and were able to access passwords and 2FA codes. Those weird unauthorized charges you noticed in October? These were probably behind it. 2. Twitter Expands Private Info Policy to Include Images and Video Twitter is expanding its private information policy and will now ban people who share private images and videos without the owner's consent. Effective immediately, the change will also ban those who demand money in exchange for not leaking private information. Ugh. Good on ya, Twitter. 3. Valve Has No Interest in Steam Deck Exclusives While exclusive games are common on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch, Valve's Steam Deck will be different. The company made it clear yesterday that there are no plans to release any Steam Deck exclusives, stating "It's a PC and it should just play games like a PC." Thanks, Valve! 🦑 Go Deeper Our smart home devices are neat and all, but also pretty vulnerable. How? Well, according to Charlie Sorrel, it's because they all connect to the internet using default passwords that some of us never change. Whoops.     🎱 By the Numbers Surprisingly few 1.0 ratings Data: 42matters Considering how many apps are on the Google Play Store, you'd probably expect there to be a number of duds. Surprisingly, or based on the above chart, at least, apps with 1.0-1.5 ratings are in the minority, while most apps score between the 4.0-5.0 range. Guess Google's doing something right.     🎁 Lifewire's 2021 Holiday Gift Guide   Shop all the best gifts for the tech-lover in your life with our handy 2021 Holiday Gift Guide, chock-full of gifts chosen by our very own editorial staff! Have at it! Shop Our Guide 🤓 Nerd Out "Good luck surprising me now, rain!" —Molly McLaughlin, Senior Content Strategist The iPhone's weather app can tell you when it'll rain, but did you know about its hidden Precipitation map that can show you exactly where it'll drop? And it only takes a few taps. (Share on Twitter) 💎 You Know You Want It  One keycap to rule them all Image: Drop Spice up that boring looking keyboard with one of these Lord of the Rings artisan keycaps from Drop. Whether it resembles Mount Doom, Anduin, or Lothlórien, each key will feature the One Ring, creating a deeper, more precious attachment to your keyboard. 🚀 Facing the Future An expensive paint job Sure, you could paint your house that wonderful shade of blue next year, but what if you used Purdue University's "world's whitest paint," which could reduce your air conditioning bills? We know what we would do.     🗞 Extra! Extra! We've got you covered with the best in daily tech news! See the latest on our site or follow us on Google News. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here. Have something you'd like us to write about? We're always open for suggestions, too. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Tech Today newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here .   Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. A Dotdash Brand 28 Liberty Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10005 2020 Dotdash • All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.   [View in Browser]