Google security researchers discovered a backdoor family of malware called Tizi that can root Android devices and exploit older vulnerabilities.
Tizi is used in targeted attacks against mainly African countries to include Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
In the blog post, Google described how Google Play Protect and Threat Analysis teams worked together to discover, investigate, remove and block Tizi-infected apps from Android devices.
The Tizi family of malware was discovered by Google researchers in September of this year, but then traced back previous apps infected with Tizi going back to 2015.
Google also provided five good steps to help prevent Potentially Harmful Applications (PHAs) from being installed on your device: 1) checking permissions (of what apps are asking for), 2) enable a secure lock screen, 3) keep your device up to date, 4) enable Google Play Protect and 5) Locate your device.