Google Removes 3. Apps Used to Launch DDo. S Attacks From Play Store. Google has removed roughly 3. Play Store after security researchers from several internet infrastructure companies discovered that the seemingly harmless appsoffering video players and ringtones, among other featureswere secretly hijacking Android devices to provide traffic for large scale distributed denial of service DDo. S attacks. The botnet, nicknamed Wire. X, caught the attention of security researchers at the content delivery network Akamai when it was used to attack one of its clients earlier this month. Akamais client, a multinational hospitality company, was hit with traffic from hundreds of thousands of IP addresses. We identified approximately 3. Play Store, and were in the process of removing them from all affected devices, a Google spokesperson said in a statement. The researchers findings, combined with our own analysis, have enabled us to better protect Android users, everywhere. The nefarious apps provided a variety of apparently legitimate services, with malware hidden underneath that could use an Android device to quietly participate in a DDo. S attack, so long as the device was powered on. Watch Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom Download Full. Its not clear how many devices were infectedone Akamai researcher told journalist Brian Krebs that that number could be around 7. After noticing the attack on one of its customers, Akamai brought in researchers from a handful of tech companies including Cloudflare, Flashpoint, Google, Oracle Dyn, Risk. IQ, and Team Cymru. The group believes that the infected devices are spread throughout 1. In one instance, a Wire. X attack was accompanied by a ransom email, Cloudflares head of trust and safety Justin Paine told Gizmodo. Once the larger collaborative effort began, the investigation began to unfold rapidly starting with the investigation of historic log information, which revealed a connection between the attacking IPs and something malicious, possibly running on top of the Android operating system, the researchers wrote in a joint blog post. Get the latest science news and technology news, read tech reviews and more at ABC News. The best thing that organizations can do when under a DDo. S attack is to share detailed metrics related to the attack. With this information, those of us who are empowered to dismantle these schemes can learn much more about them than would otherwise be possible. This is just the latest example of apps containing malware making their way into the Google Play Store. Earlier this month, Google booted several apps that contained hidden surveillance software. Just last week, researchers found banking malware in the Play Store. With all these apps sneaking into Play, its up to you to protect yourself and your Android device. If youre ever in doubt about whether an app is safe, do some research on the developer and check out what permissions the app wants on your phone. This month, the American Psychoanalytic Association told its roughly 3,500 members a decadesold rule against speculating on the mental health of some public figures. Youve spotted an app, site, or service you like the look of, its completely free to use, and soRead more ReadAkamai, Krebs on Security.