Two Android Apps Are Secretly Mining Dogecoin And Litecoin Without Telling People

Google PlaySongs is one of the apps that secretly mines crypto-currency.

Two Android apps called Songs and Prized secretly mine Litecoin and Dogecoin without informing users according to a new security report by researchers at Trend Micro.

Songs has been downloaded one million to five million times while Prized has been installed 10,000 to 50,000 times writes Ars Technica.

The malware involved in this mining process uses up a considerable amount of energy which leads to shorter battery life , wear and tear, and ultimately erodes your device.

Smartphones are primarily affected and these apps only mine the cryptocurrencies when the device is recharging but Trend Micro's analyst is still puzzled as to what the point of this scheme is:

"Phones do not have sufficient performance to serve as effective miners. Users will also quickly notice the odd behavior of the miners - slow charging and excessively hot phones will all be seen, making the miner's presence not particularly stealthy. Yes, they can gain money this way, but at a glacial pace."

As of Wednesday, both of these apps are still sitting in the Google Play Store.