Judy malware infects 36 million Google Play Store users – here’s how to find out if your Android phone is affected

MILLIONS of Android smartphone owners have been infected with malware which forces you to click on intrusive adverts like nasty pop-up porn.

The virus, dubbed 'Judy' is believed to have infected up to 36 million Android phone owner, cyber security experts have warned.

Researchers at the tech firm Check Point warned that the Judy virus was "possibly the largest malware campaign found on Google Play".

Judy is found in 41 separate apps masquerading as games on the Play store including Chef Judy, Animal Judy and Fashion Judy.

While the games look sweet and innocent, they will send smartphones pop-up adverts which you will be forced to click to generate revenue for the people who unleashed the malware.

The auto-click adware was allegedly developed by a Korean company which goes by the name Kimini or ENISTUDIO corp.

Google has removed the Judy apps from its Play Store, but up to 35.6million phones could already be infected, according to Check Point.

They wrote in a blog post: "The malicious apps reached an astonishing spread between 4.5 million and 18.5 million downloads.

"Some of the apps we discovered resided on Google Play for several years, but all were recently updated.

"It is unclear how long the malicious code existed inside the apps, hence the actual spread of the malware remains unknown."

Judy doesn't appear to be stealing personal information and is just a means for crooks to make money on ad clicks.

But it could mean you're phone will be bombarded with all sorts of naughty ads - which might make you look very suspicious if your family or other half gets a hold of your phone.

If you're worried you might be infected, check that you don't have any apps created by Kiniwini or ENISTUDIO Corp installed on your phone.

You can delete them instantly and run an antivirus - which can be bought in the Play Store.

Choose a reputable brand and check comments and ratings to make sure it's legitimate.

Make sure your gadget has the most recent updates.

It's extremely important that you always download the latest operating system and security patches.

Without the latest version, your phone could be at risk from viruses, adware, malware or ransomware.

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