Facebook parent company Metaplatform (hereinafter referred to as Meta) announced on the 7th (local time) that it has identified more than 400 malicious apps that steal login information from Internet users.
These apps disguised themselves as photo editors, mobile games, and health trackers to steal users' login information, Meta explained.
Mehta added that Apple and Google, which operate the App Store, were notified of this, respectively, to remove the app.
Apple removed 45 of the 400 apps in question from its App Store, and Google removed all suspicious apps.
Meta also said it was concerned that these malicious apps could have stolen the names and passwords of one million Facebook users and notified users.
These apps trick the user into providing their name and password via Facebook login in order to work beyond their basic functionality.
When a user uploads an edited photo to their account, in this process, the app author is granted access to hijack the account without the user's knowledge.
"Cyber criminals know how popular these types of apps are and they will use similar themes to trick users and steal account information," said David Agranovich, Meta's head of global threat disruption.
"Not all 1 million accounts have been compromised," he said. "If an app promises something too good, such as a feature that other platforms or social media don't reveal, it may have other motives."
(Photo = provided by Meta, Yonhap News)