Malware that replaces victims' legitimate apps with a malicious doppelganger has infected 25 million devices across India and the U.S. say security researchers. 

The virus, named 'Agent Smith' after a fictional character from the, galaxy m30 antutu benchmark 'The Matrix' who is able to make others into copies of himself, was highlighted by the security firm Check Point on Wednesday and affects users on Android devices.

Instead of stealing data, the malware covertly replaces apps inside a user's phone with hacked versions which display ads selected by the hackers, huawei honor 20 pro antutu benchmark allowing them to profit off their views. 

Android users across the world have been infected with a malware called 'Agent Smith' which disguises itself as a legitimate app and Antutu then serves up fake ads for money. File photo

To avoid detection, the malware -- under its disguise as popular apps like WhatsApp or Flipkart -- is also capable of replacing code in the original program with its own malicious version that prevents an app from being updated. 

At least 15 million of the devices infected are located in India and 300,000 have been detected in the U.S. Other infections are spread across Asia as well as the U.K., Meizu 16S Pro Antutu and Australia. 

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Share 384 shares 'The malware attacks user-installed applications silently, making it challenging for common Android users to combat such threats on their own,' said Jonathan Shimonovich, Head of Mobile Threat Detection Research at Check Point. 

'Combining advanced threat prevention and threat intelligence while adopting a ‘hygiene first' approach to safeguard digital assets is the best protection against invasive mobile malware attacks like 'Agent Smith'' 

Malware spread through the third-party app store 9Apps where malicious code was embedded into photo and sex-related apps.