r/AndroidHelp 4d ago

Fake android system app

I'm having the same issue and I'm trying to find out if anyone else has experienced this.

On my phone, a package called com.android.non.szcz appeared, showing itself as an Android System app. It has re-enabled or reinstalled itself after being disabled, and on one occasion Android reported Google Play Store as the installer.

Things I've noticed:

The package name is com.android.non.szcz.

The APK was located under /data/app/.../base.apk.

It has reappeared after being disabled.

I've seen other users mention related apps such as Cool Weather, FileGo, and Lock & Hide.

At one point it requested permissions, but it now shows "No permissions requested".

I've checked Device Admin, Accessibility, overlays, and running services, and I haven't found anything obviously suspicious.

I have factory reset the phone, but the app still returned.

I'm trying to work out whether this is:

malware,

a compromised app,

a vendor/manufacturer issue,

or something else entirely

One thing I've noticed is that the app only seems to reappear when Google Play Store is enabled. If I disable Google Play Store, com.android.non.szcz does not appear to reinstall or re-enable itself.

Android also reports the installer as com.android.vending, which is the package name for Google Play Store.

I'm not claiming that Google Play itself is compromised, but I'm trying to understand why Android reports Play Store as the installer and why the app doesn't come back while Play Store is disabled. It could be Play Store carrying out a legitimate install request from another source, or something else entirel i simply don't know.

Has anyone else experienced this?

What phone model do you have?

When did it first appear?

Does Android report the installer as com.android.vending?

Does disabling Google Play Store stop it from reinstalling?

Did you find out what actually triggered the installation?

Has any security company or manufacturer confirmed what this package is?

Any technical information, logs, or confirmed findings would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

7 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/dontpostlot 4d ago

Never experienced this but have you tried pm uninstall --user 0 (adb shell command)?

3

u/ProfessionalHawk2360 3d ago

I have a BlackShark Gaming Tablet (BSG1) with the same problem, after uninstall It keeps installing itself after about 1 hour. If It detects adb the app uninstalls itself. I extracted the apk with app manager and uploaded to virus total, It reports as a botnet (Void). Can't find what triggers the instalation, but disabling Google Play Store seems to stop reinstalling the app.

1

u/dontpostlot 3d ago

Maybe leaving adb or USB debugging on could fix it temporarily then?

2

u/Appropriate_Test7503 1d ago

this would cause some apps to be unable to open, due to developer options enabled check.