Millions of Android smartphones infected with adware

Security researchers have found all kinds of different apps on Google Play that present themselvesĀ as games but in reality are adware. The applications have millions of downloads. Some of the apps, including the cardgame Durka, activate their adware module after 30 days.

myce-android-adware

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Once the adware is activated and an user unlocks his phone, the user starts seeing warnings stating the phone is infected with malware, is outdated or is filled with porn. Thereafter the adware asks the user whether they want to solve their "problem". An user that agrees is redirected to dubieus app stores and apps which secretly send text messages or collect personal data. In some cases users where directed to security apps on Google Play.

According to antivirus company Avast the adware distributors get paid for generating traffic to the apps and app stores.

"Most people won't be able to find the source of the problem and will face fake ads each time they unlock their device", analyst Filip Chytry writes on the Avast blog. He also thinks most people will trust the offered "solutions" and will follow the recommended steps, which may lead to an investment into unwanted apps from untrusted sources.

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Besides the Durka card game, also an IQ test app and an app about the history of Russia use the same methodology. The apps have been installed by between 5 and 10 million users.

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