8 million Android users tricked into downloading 85 adware apps from Google Play

guest · Aug 16, 2019

8 million Android users tricked into downloading 85 adware apps from Google Play
August 16, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/16/android-users-tricked-adware-apps/

Dozens of Android adware apps disguised as photo taking and editing apps have been caught serving ads that would take over users’ screens as part of a fraudulent money-making scheme.
Security firm Trend Micro said it found 85 individual apps downloaded more than eight million times from the Google Play — all of which have since been removed from the app store.

“It isn’t your run-of-the-mill adware family,” said Ecular Xu, a mobile threat response engineer at Trend Micro. “Apart from displaying advertisements that are difficult to close, it employs unique techniques to evade detection through user behavior and time-based triggers.”
“These ads are shown in full screen,” said Xu. “Users are forced to view the whole duration of the ad before being able to close it or go back to app itself.”

Worse, the ads can be remotely configured by the fraudster, allowing ads to be displayed more frequently than the default five minute intervals.
Trend Micro provided a list of the apps — including Super Selfie Camera, Cos Camera, Pop Camera, and One Stroke Line Puzzle — all of which had a million downloads each.
Click to expand...

Trend Micro: Adware Posing as 85 Photography and Gaming Apps on Google Play Installed Over 8 Million Times

guest · Nov 10, 2019

More Adware-Delivering Android Games And Camera Apps Removed From Google Play Store
November 10, 2019
https://latesthackingnews.com/2019/...d-camera-apps-removed-from-google-play-store/

Researchers from Trend Micro have reported multiple malicious apps targeting Android users with malware. Reportedly, they discovered 49 different adware-delivering Android games and camera apps with over 3 million downloads. These apps not only infected users but also utilised various security evasion features to bypass Play Protect.

As elaborated in their blog post, the apps, after installation, delivered full-screen ads on the devices. The ads provided no viable option to the users to close, compelling them to press back or home key.
Moreover, those apps also disguised their icons to bluff the users.
Google Removed The Nasty Apps
Following Trend Micro’s report, Google removed all the apps from the Play Store.

Nonetheless, the threat is not over. In fact, it seems an ongoing battle between Play Store and malicious app developers considering the wave of adware-delivering apps.
Click to expand...

Trend Micro: 49 Disguised Adware Apps With Optimized Evasion Features Found on Google Play

This recent incident continues an ongoing trend of mobile adware surges — just last August we discovered 85 fake photography and gaming adware apps that also employed unique techniques to evade detection.
Click to expand...

guest · Jul 26, 2022

New Android malware apps installed 10 million times from Google Play
July 26, 2022

A new batch of malicious Android apps filled with adware and malware was found on the Google Play Store that have been installed close to 10 million times on mobile devices.

The apps pose as image-editing tools, virtual keyboards, system optimizers, wallpaper changers, and more. However, their underlying functionality is to push intrusive ads, subscribe users to premium services, and steal victims' social media accounts.
The discovery of these malicious apps comes from the Dr. Web antivirus team, who highlighted the new threats in a report published today.
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The new malicious Android apps
The adware apps discovered by Dr. Web are modifications of existing families that first appeared on the Google Play Store in May 2022.

Upon installation, the apps request permission to overlay windows over any app and can add themselves to the battery saver's exclusion list so they can continue running in the background when the victim closes the app.
Additionally, they hide their icons from the app drawer or replace them with something resembling a core system component, like "SIM Toolkit".
Click to expand...

The full list of adware apps can be found at the bottom of the article, but one notable example still on the Play Store is 'Neon Theme Keyboard,' which has over a million downloads despite the 1.8-star score and many negative reviews.

The second category of malicious apps found on the Play Store is Joker apps, known for incurring fraudulent charges on victims' mobile numbers by subscribing them to premium services.
Finally, Dr. Web highlights two Facebook account stealers distributed in image editing tools that apply cartoon filters over regular images.
These apps are 'YouToon – AI Cartoon Effect' and 'Pista – Cartoon Photo Effect,' which have been collectively downloaded over 1.5 million times via the Play Store.
Click to expand...

Dr.Web: Doctor Web’s June 2022 review of virus activity on mobile devices

Over the month, Doctor Web’s malware analysts discovered dozens of malicious apps on Google Play. Among them were adware trojans, fake apps used by scammers, info-stealers targeting confidential data, and others.
Click to expand...

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