The Squid Game app with ‘Joker’ malware has already been removed
That app has been spotted in the Play Store, and Google already removed it. Now, there are hundreds of other Squid Game-related apps out there, and over 200 of them are available via the Play Store. Together, they’ve been downloaded over a million times. Now, the wallpaper that got taken down is called “Squid Wallpaper 4K HD”, and its malicious nature was spotted by a cybersecurity researcher, Lukas Stefanko. He discovered that the app was giving hackers the means to send “malicious ad-fraud and/or unwanted SMS subscription actions”. The malware used here is actually well-known, it’s called ‘Joker’. We’ve talked about it a number of times thus far, as it always finds its way back.
This app had around 5,000 downloads before it was removed
When it comes to the app in question, the “Squid Wallpaper 4K HD”, that app was downloaded about 5,000 times before it was taken down. If you do have it on your phone, you’re advised to uninstall it immediately. The best way to avoid getting one of these malware apps on your phone, is not to install unofficial Squid Game apps in general. Such malicious code is usually hidden inside wallpaper apps, image editing apps, and so on. There’s really no rule that will help you avoid such apps. You cannot really open up 20 Squid Game apps and be able to figure out which one is good, and which one isn’t. Chances are that the vast majority of them are malware-free, but the point is, you cannot tell which ones. So, the best course of action would be to avoid them in general, but it’s up to you.
