Data security experts from Lookout Mobile Security have detected more than a thousand spy apps in the Google Play store.

A good example is SponicSpy – an application which impersonates popular Internet messengers, like Hulk Messenger or Troy Chat. After installation, SonicSpy tries to download a modified version of Telegram. Cybercriminals can capture our contact information or Wi-Fi passwords. In addition, the application records user’s conversations and then sends them to the cybercriminal’s server.

The security experts from Lookout Mobile Security have noted a strong similarity of SonicSpy code with the earlier generation of another malicious app known as Spynote, which was also available in the Google Play store.

Google has already removed malicious apps. However, the company should think about how to prevent the occurrence of similar situations in the future.