Late last month, folks at McAffee were warning Android users that there were multiple apps in the Play Store promising unnecessary protection against WannaCry. Now, it seems there's a flood of anti-virus solutions in the app store that are actually there to infect you, not save you.

First of all, because it seems like it needs to be said over and over again, WannaCry is not an infection that can reach Android devices, or any other type of devices outside of Windows PCs and laptops because it is essentially based on a Windows vulnerability.

With that part out of the way, RiskIQ, a cybersecurity firm, discovered seven apps related to WannaCry in the Google Play Store, and another couple of them in Apple's App Store. They all demanded entirely more permissions than the average app, including knowing your phone's wake password.

Then, hundreds of fraudulent antivirus apps were discovered on digital markets, all packed with some kind of adware, trojan or malware.

"There has been a recent rise in fake WannaCry 'protectors,' apps that use fear and hysteria around the self-propagating ransomware to drive downloads, even though mobile systems are safe from its impact," RiskIQ notes.

The lurking threat

The company notes that out of 4,292 active antivirus apps, 525 set off malware alarms. 508 of these were found in the Google Play store, the rest being likely from third-party app stores.

"Google Play is one of the most reputable app stores in the world, so the fact that so many reside there shows the dangers facing mobile app consumers," said Forrest Gueterman, security analyst with Risk IQ.

In fact, Google has a whole system set up to scan the apps. The system, however, can be fooled, especially if the app acts as a gateway for malware and it doesn't carry it directly, or if there's a delayed trigger attached to the malware.

In order to keep your device safe, it's best to only download software from reputable developers, check out the description and watch for any grammatical errors and things out of place. Also, you should check for user reviews.