Delete these 203 malicious iPhone and Android apps before they take control of your phone

Our first heap of malicious mobile apps in 2023 is a doozy. Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) and National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) teamed up to share a list of more than 200 apps containing malware on iOS and Android devices.

“The public is being asked to look out for malicious apps,” said Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, DES Minister, in a Facebook post on the Ministry’s profile last week. “If they are downloaded, hackers can steal your personal data or take control of your phones.”

The groups claim that victims who download the apps put themselves at risk of having their bank accounts drained and their phones taken over by hackers. Unsurprisingly, many of the apps have fairly innocuous names, like 4K Pro Camera, Beauty Filter, EmojiOne Keyboard, iMessager, Now QRcode Scan, Private SMS, and Wow Translator.

You can see the full list of malicious iOS and Android apps in the slideshow below:

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The DES and NCSA say that they have asked Apple and Google to remove these apps from their respective app stores. Unfortunately, they did not specify which apps were found on which mobile operating system, but if any of these names look like apps currently installed on your phone, your best bet is to delete it until you can be sure it’s safe.