We recently found 49 new adware apps on Google Play, disguised as games and stylized cameras. Before they were taken down by Google, the total number of downloads for these apps was more than 3 million. This recent incident continues an ongoing trend of mobile adware surges
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We found an app on Google Play named “Yellow Camera”, which poses as a camera and photo beautification or editing app embedded with a routine of reading SMS verification codes from the System Notifications, and, in turn, activate a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) billing. We disclosed our findings to Google, and the app, along with related ones we saw, are no longer in the Play store.
Based on the name of the file downloaded by the app, it appears it is mostly targeting users in Southeast Asia (e.g., Thailand, Malaysia). However, we’ve also seen the app targeting Chinese-speaking users, so it won’t be a surprise if the app gradually shifts or expands targets. While the app has already been taken down in the Play store, we found that the fraudsters uploaded similar apps to the app store.
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We found hundreds of the fake apps on iOS App Store and Google Play, with descriptions that are inconsistent with their content. While the apps’ descriptions varied, they share the same suspicious behavior: They could transform into gambling apps that may get banned for violating local government regulations and app store policies.
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The mobile platform is ubiquitous — enabling users to make online transactions, run their everyday lives, or even use it in the workplace. It’s no surprise that fraudsters and cybercriminals would want to cash in on it. Delivering adware, for example, enables them to monetize affected devices while attempting to be innocuous. And while they may be viewed as a nuisance at best, mobile ad fraud- and adware-related incidents became so rampant last year that it cost businesses hefty financial losses.
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We recently observed an active adware campaign (detected by Trend Micro as AndroidOS_HiddenAd.HRXAA and AndroidOS_HiddenAd.GCLA) concealed in free-to-download 182 game and camera apps, majority of which were found on the Google Play Store and collectively had millions of downloads.
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