Mega scam with anti-virus applications from official Appstores

As the past has often shown, cyber criminals are still able to place spy and scam applications in official stores. Now, a particularly treacherous scam has been stolen. Because anti-virus applications are supposed to protect users against such scams, the security apps on offer are more and more often counterfeits or simply offer security features to users. ESET's security expert, Lukas Stefanko, has revealed a variety of such apps in the Google Play Store.

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Millions downloaded and always available

His badysis shows that these fake AV applications have already been downloaded and installed millions of times. Many Android users have already been ripped off. "Unfortunately, these supposed antivirus applications are still available in Google Play and have an incredibly high number of installations."Explains Stefanko."Here, fraudsters try to generate profits, including advertising in applications. Ironically, some of these applications are recognized as at least a threat".

© ESET

Advertising instead of protection

Discovered fake apps only mimic legitimate security solutions and do not protect the smartphone. Usually, these programs do not detect malware or do not deceive you. What these dubious, but very good, programs are the annoying ads of users, because it is a lucrative business for fraudsters. In addition, some of these applications get extended rights to the smartphone and have access to sensitive user data.

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Short Rauswurf

Already last year, ESET researchers have 35 questionable applications (see graph below), which simply mimic mobile security applications. These apps have been removed from the Google Play Store team. But now, similar apps are back on the Play Store and are installed millions of times by unsuspecting users. The mesh is the same. Users are fooled by false security. Scam artists simply seek to allow users to see the ads and reward them financially.

© ESET

35 suspicious apps in the Google Play Store

Advice

For smartphone owners, the situation is opaque. The best advice is to rely on the well-known name for the choice of antivirus protection for the mobile phone or tablet and read before the tests of renowned institutes such as AV-Comparatives. In general, users should also carefully check the product pages before installing an application, including from official markets. For example, if there are only good or bad reviews, users should take a closer look, because something could be wrong.