Google has removed 77 malicious Android applications from its Play Store after cybersecurity researchers identified them as containing a banking Trojan malware known as Hook v3. These apps collectively amassed over 19 million downloads and targeted 831 banks worldwide. The malware features 107 commands, including several previously unseen, enabling sophisticated banking information theft. The discovery was made by cybersecurity firm Zimperium. Following the malware outbreak, some banking services, including HSBC and First Direct, experienced outages preventing customers from accessing their accounts. Users are advised to check if they have downloaded any of the infected apps and to remove them promptly.