Antivirus maker Trend Micro has discovered nine Google Play Store apps loaded with adware and malware designed to secretly hijack your digital life In total, these nine apps have been installed more than 470,000 times

Ars Technica reports that most of the malicious apps were posted as system optimizers or speed boosters According to Trend Micro, all have been removed from Google Play, but you want to remove any you may have on your phone

Here is the list:

These apps are designed to secretly turn your phone into a zombie to perform tasks for the benefit of adware and sometimes malware-laden hackers and scammers

The apps do their evil deeds by connecting to servers and downloading over 3,000 types of malware It also logs into Google and Facebook accounts and, rather than hijacking accounts, displays legitimate ads to simulate clicks, runs reward apps from ad networks, posts fake reviews, disables Play Protect, and other tasks

The last one is theoretically the most dangerous, allowing other, more malicious programs to be installed without detection

According to Trend Micro, the majority of infections occur in Japan, where 48,557 have been detected Taiwan, the United States (2,497 cases), Israel, India, and other countries have also been affected This adware/malware campaign has been in place since at least 2017

Once infected, you can try using one of the best Android antivirus apps to get rid of them and any malware they may have put on your device

However, it is best to completely erase the device and start fresh Also, don't forget to check the list of connected apps in your Google and Facebook accounts

As for Google, we can only hope that they will fix their broken Play Store protection system