Items tagged with Google Play
A new app called Gradient has gone viral. The point of the app is to take a picture of you and then gradually match you with your celebrity look alike. It's certainly not the first app of the sort that is meant to show users who their celeb look-alike is, among other things. Gradient is available for iOS and Android devices and is developed by a group called Ticket to the Moon Inc. The app has seen a boom in popularity recently as it has been used and the results of its matchups shared by celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel (seen above), Diplo, and the Kardashians. Kimmel morphing into Matt Damon we have to believe is a joke. The two have a long-running fake beef that has been a subject of Kimmel's...
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The number of malicious Android apps that make it to the Google Play store continues to grow at an alarming rate. Sophos has issued a new report regarding 15 apps on Google Play that are abusive and designed to do nothing but serve ads to smartphone users. On top of spamming users with ads on their mobile devices, they hide their app icons in the launcher to make it hard for users to find and remove the apps. Sophos says that some of the apps take things a bit further and disguise themselves in the Phone app settings page. In total, these apps have been installed on more than 1.3 million devices globally. One of the apps that Sophos has discovered goes so far as to launch the first time and seemingly...
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172 Malicious Android Apps With Over 300 Million Installs Discovered In Google Play Store Last Month
The battle against malware never ends. Nearly 200 harmful apps were discovered in the Google Play Store in September 2019. These apps were installed by over 335 million users. Most of the harmful ads contained malicious or misleading malware. These apps were downloaded by more than 300 million people. Google removed 46 apps alone from Chinese developer iHandy. Most of their apps feature tools for selfies, security and antivirus utilities, keyboards, horoscopes, emoji, and health. The developer claims that they attract more than 180 million monthly users. Google noted that the apps included “deceptive or disruptive” ads, which violates their policies. The apps even drained users' batteries...
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Last week Google gutted around 46 apps that were pushed from a single Chinese developer. The developer goes by the name of iHandy, and when Google axed the apps, it didn't say why it removed them. A new report is now indicating that the reason why Google removed the apps was due to "deceptive or disruptive ads." A Google spokesperson told BuzzFeed that Google Play developer policies explicitly prohibit these types of ads. Google notes that the policies are in place to create the best experience for users and notes that when violations of its policies are found, "we take action." The apps are another example of adware and malware on the Google Play store that isn't being discovered...
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The latest “Joker” spyware is no laughing matter as it can easily compromise a lot of the personal data you keep on your phone. Researchers recently discovered spyware that can access your SMS messages, contact list and other information. The spyware was found in over 24 Android apps on Google Play and has infected nearly 500,000 users. The “Joker” spyware was originally detected this past June and was named after one of its command-and-control (C2) domain names. It can gain access to a victim’s SMS messages, contacts list, and other specific device information. It can also sign victims up for premium subscription services without their knowledge. The Joker is able...
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Earlier this week, you brought you the news of an unfortunate turn of events that resulted in the popular app CamScanner being removed from the Google Play Store. The app, which can create PDF documents, is developed by CC Intelligence and has been downloaded over 100 million times. The problem came into play when users began getting bombarded with "unwanted features" and advertisements that took over their smartphone's display. The folks at Kaspersky Lab were able to determine that the CamScanner was carrying a malicious module dubbed Trojan-Dropper.AndroidOS.Necro.n, which was serving intrusive ads to users. After staying mum on the situation for most of the week, CamScanner's developers...
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It seems as though every few weeks that we hear about a new Android malware or adware scheme that has invaded the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, we today have to report on yet another adware scheme that was uncovered by the security gurus over at Trend Micro. The adware has been identified as AndroidOS_Hidenad.HRXH, and it was preloaded on 85 apps found in Google Play. According to the security researchers, the adware was primarily disguised as either a photography or gaming app. What's most alarming, however, is that these 85 apps were cumulatively downloaded over 8 million times by unsuspecting Android users. A small sample of the adware apps on Google Play. According...
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Have you noticed your Android handset depleting its battery at a faster clip than usual? If so, the culprit could be a recent update to Google Play Services. There have been multiple reports of unusually fast battery drain on various Android phones running Google Play Services 18.3.82, suggesting there is a bug with the software. This does not appear to affect any single make or model Android phone—any Android device running the latest version of Google Play Services is prone to shortened battery life, compared whatever the normal run time might be. Source: Artem Russakovskii (via Twitter) APKMirror founder and Android Police writer Artem Russakovskii noted the disparity on Twitter, as...
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When Apple announced its monthly subscription gaming service called Apple Arcade, everyone expected Google to launch its own similar service. It's taken Google some time to launch a competing service, but it seems that service is here. Google is now testing a service called Google Play Pass. Google's Play Pass service calls out access to games and apps indicating it won't just be an arcade offering. The app images are from the signup page allegedly seen by an unnamed reader and sent to Android Police. The signup page offers a subscribe link and calls out a monthly fee of $4.99. App users will appreciate that the Play Pass notes there are no purchases, no ads, and all in-app purchases are unlocked....
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One of the smartest things that Samsung smartphones users can do is to keep their devices updated with the latest firmware from Samsung. Consistent updates allows them to have the latest security updates to help protect their device and personal data. A new report claims that 10 million Samsung smartphone users have downloaded an app from Google Play that is called "Updates for Samsung." The users apparently thought that the app was an official app from Samsung, but what the app does is redirect users to a website filled with ads where they are charged for firmware updates. Samsung offers firmware updates for its smartphones at no cost. As of this writing, the "Updates for Samsung" app was...
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182 Android apps have been linked to an adware campaign that has plagued users who download apps from Google Play. Trend Micro detected the adware campaign identified as AndroidOS_HiddenAd.HRXAA and AndroidOS_HiddenAd.GCLA. The adware was hidden inside free-to-download game and camera apps, the majority of which were found on the Google Play Store and had millions of downloads collectively. The adware behind the campaign was disguised as game and camera apps and was discovered in mid-June. Trend Micro says that it generated heuristic patterns that were used to analyze other samples it had detected and were able to deduce that the adware campaign had been active since 2018. All of the apps that...
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This mobile app is definitely something to scream about in more ways than one. The Android game “Scary Granny ZOMBYE Mod: The Horror Game 2019” s stealing users’ Google and Facebook data. The malicious app attempts to siphon both data and money from its users to attackers. “Scary Granny ZOMBYE Mod: The Horror Game 2019” was a horror game that mimicked another popular Android game “Granny”. Users were tasked with running away from zombies while uncovering extra lives and various weapons. The game was installed over 50,000 times and boasted a 4-star review in the Google Play store before it was removed on June 27th. Image credit: Wandera Security...
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The Google Play app store ecosystem is robust, and many of the apps that people buy are purchased with a credit card that is tied to the person's Google Play account. For most people linking a credit card to their account isn't a big deal, but that isn't always the case in all market around the globe. Some users fear the security of their credit card information, and often parents don't want to tie a credit card to a kid's account out of fear the child might make unauthorized purchases. In some countries, the problems are more significant than security. In locations like India where most people use Android devices, but few use credit cards or debit cards with bank accounts, paying for apps is...
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Several apps from a developer with ties to China's Baidu were caught committing click fraud and sending information to China without the knowledge of the app users. When the revelation of the apps committing click fraud first surfaced, Google had stated that the six apps initially had been blacklisted and were no longer usable. The apps included Selfie Camera app, Omni Cleaner, RAM Master, Smart Cooler, Total Cleaner, and AIO Flashlight. Google now appears to be making a move that could see every app published by the developer removed from the Google Play store. So far more than 40 apps from the developer have gotten the ax. Before being caught in the click fraud scheme, the developer had around...
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