Czech cybersecurity firm Avast confirmed that its antivirus SDK has been flagging a Google Android app as malware on Huawei, Vivo, and Honor smartphones since Saturday.
On affected gadgets, customers have been warned to instantly uninstall the Google app as a result of it may secretly ship SMS messages, obtain and set up different apps, or steal their delicate data.
Others noticed a unique alert, telling them that the Google app was a trojan that would present distant entry to their gadget and permit attackers to put in malware and steal the customers’ knowledge.
The false constructive subject was reported by customers on Google’s help discussion board (Vivo submit), on Reddit (Vivo thread), on Huawei’s discussion board, and varied different Android communities.
“This safety notification was not triggered by Google Play Defend and seems to be from a tool that isn’t Play Defend licensed and doesn’t have entry to formally obtain Google’s core apps from Play,” a Google spokesperson informed BleepingComputer.
“We advocate contacting the gadget producer for additional data. Google Play is the one app retailer the place you possibly can formally obtain Google’s core apps for Android.”
BleepingComputer additionally reached out to Huawei and Vivo, however we’re but to obtain a response from the Chinese language smartphone makers.
Avast antivirus SDK behind false constructive
Whereas Google could not pinpoint the safety service or app that was triggering the false constructive, Avast confirmed on Tuesday that its Android antivirus SDK was the one which mistakenly tagged the Google Fast Search Field app launcher as malware.
Avast stated Huawei’s Optimizer app confirmed the malware alerts on Huawei gadgets however did not present any particulars relating to affected Honor and Vivo gadgets.
“On October twenty ninth, it was reported to Avast that its antivirus Software program Growth Package (SDK) for Android was incorrectly flagging the Google Fast Search Field as malware on Huawei telephones,” the corporate stated.
“This SDK delivers the antivirus part of Huawei’s Optimizer app, a tool administration software that additionally gives clean-up and efficiency options.”
The cybersecurity agency added that the difficulty solely affected customers outdoors China and was addressed on Monday, October 30.
“The problem affected Huawei prospects outdoors of China solely, and a small variety of Honor and Vivo prospects. A repair was carried out on October thirtieth which totally resolved the difficulty,” Avast stated.
