Facebook warns about 400 password-stealing apps! Camera, beauty, VPN apps on the list

Meta has warned around one million Facebook users about a bunch of 400 malicious apps that are even available on Google’s Play Store and Apple’s App Store. These apps are designed to steal passwords and personal account details of Facebook accounts under false guises. The malicious apps worked by masquerading themselves as photo editors, mobile games, VPN services, business apps or health trackers, Facebook said in a report.

Most of these 400 dangerous apps include Photo Editor tools, which comprise around 42.6 percent of the total malicious apps. Apart from this, 15.4 percent are Business Utility apps, 14.1 percent are Phone Utility apps, 11.7 percent are games, VPN tools account for 11.7 percent, and Lifestyle apps are recorded at 4.4 percent of the total numbers. You can check the full list of malicious apps here.

How do these malicious apps work?

Online fraudsters create these malware-loaded apps with some useful functions such as cartoon image editors or music players to let them publish on app stores. And to cover the negativities, developers do publish some fake reviews to trick users into downloading these malware apps. Once any of these apps are on your device, it will ask you to “Login With Facebook” before you are able to use its promised features. As you enter credentials, the malware steals your username and password. After that, hackers can have full access to your account.

How to stay protected from these malware apps

• If the app is asking for your social media credentials to use the app, beware! Check if the app is unusable if you don’t provide your Facebook information.
• Is the app reputable? Check for its download count, ratings and reviews, including negative ones. Cross-check before downloading.
• Does the app provide the functionality it promised? If not, delete it immediately!
• Check for the developers of the app.
• If you think you are affected, then reset and create new strong passwords. Never reuse your password across multiple websites.
• Don't forget to enable two-factor authentication, preferably using an Authenticator app, to add an extra security layer to your account.