How 18 Malware Apps Snuck Into Apple's App Store
55 years ago

How 18 Malware Apps Snuck Into Apple's App Store

Wired  

Despite some recent pronounced lapses, the iPhone remains one of the most secure consumer devices you can buy, thanks in large part to the locked-down ecosystem of the iOS App Store. That sort of adware makes regular appearances on Android, in part because that platform’s third-party app stores are riddled with bad actors. Wandera's security software flagged some unusual activity on a client’s iPhone: A lone speedometer app had made unexpected contact with a so-called command and control server, which had previously been identified as issuing orders to ad fraud malware in a separate Android campaign. “That’s usually where we see the dodgy activity,” says Michael Covington, Wandera’s vice president of product.

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History of this topic

iOS devices are easier target for hackers compared to Android: Report
1 week, 1 day ago

iOS devices are easier target for hackers compared to Android: Report

India Today  

A new report from security analysts at Lookout suggests iOS devices are more vulnerable to phishing attacks than Android devices. According to the latest Mobile Threat Landscape Report for Q3 2024, 18.4 per cent of iOS devices were targeted by phishing attempts compared to 11.4 per cent of Android devices. In 2024, 19 per cent of enterprise iOS devices faced …

Apple engaged in ‘abusive conduct and practices’: CCI questions iPhone maker's dominance on iOS and App Store
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Apple engaged in ‘abusive conduct and practices’: CCI questions iPhone maker's dominance on iOS and App Store

Live Mint  

The Competition Commission of India has found that Apple exploited its dominant position in the market for app stores on its iOS operating system, engaging in abusive conduct and practices, reported Reuters. An investigation by India's antitrust body has found that Apple exploited its dominant position in the market for app stores on its iOS operating system, engaging "in abusive …

Apple removes 1,474 apps in 2022, THESE many from India
1 year, 7 months ago

Apple removes 1,474 apps in 2022, THESE many from India

India TV News  

Apple removed 1,474 apps from its App Store as per requests from various governments to take down such apps in 2022, including a massive 1,435 from mainland China and just 14 from India. According to the company's '2022 App Store Transparency Report', the Pakistan government requested to take down 10 apps while Russia asked to remove seven apps for violating …

Apple's App Store prevented over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2022
1 year, 7 months ago

Apple's App Store prevented over $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2022

India TV News  

In 2022, Apple made a significant announcement regarding its App Store's remarkable achievement in combating potential fraudulent activities. On Tuesday, Apple said, "Today, Apple announced that in 2022, the App Store prevented over $2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions, and rejected nearly 1.7 million app submissions for failing to meet the App Store's high standards for privacy, security, and content.” …

Hundreds Of Android And iOS Apps Put Millions At Risk: Uninstall Now
1 year, 11 months ago

Hundreds Of Android And iOS Apps Put Millions At Risk: Uninstall Now

News 18  

The week has started with a serious concern for smartphone users across the globe. The list of the apps have been given by the DES and NCSA which includes apps like: – 4K Pro Camera – Beat Maker Pro – Art Filters – Blue Scanner – Chat SMS – Cool Messages – Easy PDF Scanner – Frames, Funny Caller – …

Dangerous Android apps with over 2 million downloads found on Play Store, delete them immediately
2 years, 1 month ago

Dangerous Android apps with over 2 million downloads found on Play Store, delete them immediately

India Today  

A security firm has discovered a bunch of apps on the Google Play app store laden with dangerous malware that can steal user data. The apps discovered by Dr Web antivirus-promised productivity tools have over 2 million downloads collectivity. Some of the malware-laden apps are unavailable on Google Play, though users may still have them installed on their phones. One …

Malware Apps With 2 Million Install Pose Risk For Android Users: Find Out Why
2 years, 1 month ago

Malware Apps With 2 Million Install Pose Risk For Android Users: Find Out Why

News 18  

More than 2 million people have been tricked into installing malware, and phishing apps that have bypassed Google’s security checks to show up on the Play Store. The apps have been installed by over 2 million apps which is no small feat and raise concerns about Google’s apparent security standards of approving apps before they are listed on the Play …

Google Play Store Update: Apps with 20 million downloads got removed
2 years, 2 months ago

Google Play Store Update: Apps with 20 million downloads got removed

India TV News  

Google has recently removed apps from the Play Store, which had more than 20 million downloads. According to the McAfee report, Google identified the new Clicker malware that sneaked into Google Play. A total, of 16 applications that were previously on Google Play have been confirmed to have the malicious payload with an assumed 20 million installations. The security researchers …

These 8 Malware Infected Android Apps Were Downloaded Over 3 Million Times: What To Do If You Have Any
2 years, 5 months ago

These 8 Malware Infected Android Apps Were Downloaded Over 3 Million Times: What To Do If You Have Any

News 18  

Android is one of the malware-prone operating systems. Now, a malware named Autolycos has made its way to the Google Play Store and is found to be bundled with eight popular apps on the Play Store, resulting in over 3 million downloads. The malware has been found to be present in at least eight Android apps, all of which have …

New Malware Brings More Security Issues For Android Users, Delete These Apps Now: All Details
2 years, 6 months ago

New Malware Brings More Security Issues For Android Users, Delete These Apps Now: All Details

News 18  

Android smartphone users grapple with malware warnings regularly and this week, a new malware poses concerns for these people and security experts. According to a new report, four new malicious apps have been discovered on the Google Play Store that have already been downloaded by 100,000+ users already. The malware called Joker has been detected in these apps and even …

Apple App Store saved users from dangerous fraudulent transactions worth $1.5 billion, know what happened
2 years, 7 months ago

Apple App Store saved users from dangerous fraudulent transactions worth $1.5 billion, know what happened

India TV News  

Apple had announced in 2020 that it has been protecting the customers from more than $1.5 billion USD fraudulent transactions on the App Store. In an annual update to the analysis which Apple shared last year, the company has further announced that $1.5 billion-worth fraudulent transactions have been stopped on the App Store. This is a must to mention that …

Six Android Apps Found To Be Spreading Banking Malware: Full List
2 years, 9 months ago

Six Android Apps Found To Be Spreading Banking Malware: Full List

News 18  

Market research firm Check Point Research has discovered six Android apps on the Google Play Store that are spreading banking malware by portraying themselves as antivirus apps. The six apps that have been found are named Atom Clean-Booster, Antivirus; Antivirus, Super Cleaner; Alpha Antivirus, Cleaner; Powerful Cleaner, Antivirus; and two version of the Center Security – Antivirus app. According to …

Stop using these anti-virus apps from Google Play Store, as they are stealing data
2 years, 9 months ago

Stop using these anti-virus apps from Google Play Store, as they are stealing data

India TV News  

In a bizarre incident, at least 15,000 Android users downloaded anti-malware apps from Google Play Store which, instead of protecting them from hackers, infected their devices to steal passwords, bank details and other personal information, a new report showed on Thursday. The six malware apps in the disguise of anti-virus apps have now been removed by Google from Play Store …

New Malware In Disguise Of Crypto Wallets Can Steal Money From Android and iOS Devices
2 years, 9 months ago

New Malware In Disguise Of Crypto Wallets Can Steal Money From Android and iOS Devices

News 18  

Mobile users have another malware alert this week, and this one is in disguise as crypto wallets on the App Store and is capable of stealing your money. As per the security report from ESET, the malware-infected crypto apps have been discovered in Android and iOS app stores. The design of the malware within the app meant users or the …

CCI Directs Investigation Into Apple's App Store Policies On Allegations Of Unfair Trade Practices
3 years ago

CCI Directs Investigation Into Apple's App Store Policies On Allegations Of Unfair Trade Practices

Live Law  

On Friday, the Competition Commission of India directed investigation into the Apple's App Store policies with respect to allegations of unfair trade practices in India raised by a non-government organisation, Together We Fight Society. Apple's policy to mandate in-app purchases and the restriction imposed on the app developers from selecting payment process system of their choice is also in violation …

Over 300,000 Android users downloaded Trojan malware apps that steal banking details, delete them now
3 years, 1 month ago

Over 300,000 Android users downloaded Trojan malware apps that steal banking details, delete them now

India Today  

If you use an Android phone, you need to be more careful about downloading just any app. Researchers have discovered that over 300,000 users downloaded what turned out to be banking trojan malware after it managed to bypass the Google Play Store’s security. Several commonly downloaded apps are a front for four different forms of malware, one of which can …

Over 20 Android apps found with dangerous PhoneSpy spyware, you should delete them now
3 years, 1 month ago

Over 20 Android apps found with dangerous PhoneSpy spyware, you should delete them now

India Today  

A new spyware may be targeting your Android phone and trying to steal your personal data, researchers have found. PhoneSpy is a new spyware campaign that has most South Korean users of Android devices in clutches right now, but it will only be a matter of time till it spreads elsewhere. The biggest risk that PhoneSpy could be posing to …

Android smartphone users alert! Remove these 9 apps with hidden Trojan virus
3 years, 6 months ago

Android smartphone users alert! Remove these 9 apps with hidden Trojan virus

Live Mint  

The Android ecosystem has encountered a new batch of virus that hide themselves in applications. While Google Play Store may have removed these apps, users who might have downloaded the apps should also delete them from their device in order to steer clear from any further compromise. A cybersecurity service provider, DrWeb has published a new report showcasing the discovery …

Apple App Store Saved Users $1.5 Billion In Fraud Transactions And Blocked 3 Million Stolen Cards
3 years, 7 months ago

Apple App Store Saved Users $1.5 Billion In Fraud Transactions And Blocked 3 Million Stolen Cards

News 18  

Apple says that the measures in place to detect fraudulent apps and actions by developers on the App Store saved users as much as $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2020. Apple has shared detailed statistics on the fraud prevention by the App Review team, which helped keep more than a million risky and vulnerable apps off the App …

Free apps that scam people later made $400 million in revenue, report says
3 years, 9 months ago

Free apps that scam people later made $400 million in revenue, report says

The Hindu  

Fleeceware are mobile apps that comes with a short free trial, and later charge an huge subscription fee. Hundreds of such apps have earned over $400 million in revenue on the both Apple and Google’s app marketplace, according to a report by security solution provider Avast. The team discovered 204 applications: 134 apps in App Store, and 70 in Play …

Google Play Store key source of malware installs on Android, study finds
4 years, 1 month ago

Google Play Store key source of malware installs on Android, study finds

The Hindu  

Google Play Store has been identified as the main distribution vector for most malware installs on Android, according to a recent study by researchers from NortonLifeLock and the IMDEA Software Institute in Madrid, Spain. Unwanted app distribution on android devices’, researchers have analysed 12 million Android devices and their connection between apps over a four-month period between June and September …

Cybersecurity Firm Avast Warns Google of 21 Adware Gaming Apps on Play Store, Android Users Beware
4 years, 2 months ago

Cybersecurity Firm Avast Warns Google of 21 Adware Gaming Apps on Play Store, Android Users Beware

News 18  

Cybersecurity firm Avast has warned Google of 21 adware gaming apps on the Google Play Store of which 19 are still available to download. At the moment, Google is still investigating reports on the adware gaming apps, the company added. After downloading them from Google Play Store, the gaming apps hardly offered anything from what they promoted but bombarded the …

Google Removes 17 Android Apps From Play Store After They Were Found Stealing User Data
4 years, 3 months ago

Google Removes 17 Android Apps From Play Store After They Were Found Stealing User Data

News 18  

Google has removed 17 Android applications from its Play Store after they were found to be infected with Joker malware. Zscaler security researcher Viral Gandhi said that Google’s Android Security team took prompt action to remove the suspicious apps from the Google Play store. Further, Zscaler went on to explain the tactics used by the malware author to bypass Google …

Google removes 17 apps from Play Store that intend to gain user data access
4 years, 3 months ago

Google removes 17 apps from Play Store that intend to gain user data access

India Today  

Google has removed 17 Android applications from its official distribution service platform -Play Store. "This spyware is designed to steal SMS messages, contact lists, and device information, along with silently signing up the victim for premium wireless application protocol services," Zscaler security researcher Viral Gandhi said. As soon as Google was notified about the 17 malicious apps that intend to …

A Tip From a Kid Helped Uncover a Slew of Scam Apps
4 years, 3 months ago

A Tip From a Kid Helped Uncover a Slew of Scam Apps

Wired  

Researchers said that a tip from a child led them to discover aggressive adware and exorbitant prices lurking in iOS and Android smartphone apps with a combined 2.4 million downloads from the App Store and Google Play. Posing as apps for entertainment, wallpaper images, or music downloads, some of the titles served intrusive ads even when an app wasn’t active. …

TikTok User Helps Researchers Identify and Take Down Adware Apps on iOS, Android
4 years, 3 months ago

TikTok User Helps Researchers Identify and Take Down Adware Apps on iOS, Android

News 18  

Researchers said a tip from a young girl helped them discover adware, available at exorbitant prices, which was lurking around in iOS and Android smartphone apps. The adware apps had a combined 2.4 million downloads on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store. The apps were being promoted on TikTok and Instagram, according to the ArsTechnica report and according …

Android users should uninstall these 36 fraudulent beauty apps, researchers warn
4 years, 6 months ago

Android users should uninstall these 36 fraudulent beauty apps, researchers warn

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Researchers from WhiteOps found fraudulent code in a number of beauty camera applications, with names such as …

Remove these 100+ Android scam apps if you have them: Here's why
4 years, 8 months ago

Remove these 100+ Android scam apps if you have them: Here's why

India TV News  

A new set of malicious Android apps have been found that could easily hack an Android smartphone. Delete these 103 malicious Android apps A recent report by CyberNews suggests that a network of 27 malign app developers have been found out. The 27 developers made fake Android apps, which were available on the Google Play Store and had a total …

Avoid these iOS apps have Fleeceware and can steal your money
4 years, 8 months ago

Avoid these iOS apps have Fleeceware and can steal your money

India TV News  

Usually, Google Play Store is the one being home to malware-laden apps or the ones with malicious intentions and Apple is the one coming with all the security. The blog post by Sophos Labs reads, "Fleeceware apps are not officially malicious, but they are unethical, preying on consumer trust with devious techniques designed to make money. This suggests that both …

Apple bans these 15 Indian apps from app store, here's why
5 years, 2 months ago

Apple bans these 15 Indian apps from app store, here's why

India Today  

Apple has banned 15 apps from the App store after they were found infected with clickware. Wandera discovered that 17 apps on the App Store were infected with clicker trojan malware. Here are the names of these apps- RTO Vehicle Information, EMI Calculator & Loan Planner, File Manager - Documents, Smart GPS Speedometer, CrickOne - Live Cricket Scores, Daily Fitness …

Google removes 27 apps that guided users to fake Play Store
5 years, 4 months ago

Google removes 27 apps that guided users to fake Play Store

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Google has removed 27 apps that prompted users to install a fake Play Store after researchers from Pune-based Quick Heal Technologies spotted these malicious apps of dropper category and reported the issue. These apps were designed to infect devices with adware after someone fell prey to their continuous installation prompts for fake "Google Play Store", Quick Heal Security …

Apple reveals government requests to remove 'unlawful' apps
5 years, 6 months ago

Apple reveals government requests to remove 'unlawful' apps

India TV News  

Apple has for the first time published requests it received from governments globally to remove apps with "unlawful content" from its App Store. Also, read:Tim Cook rubbishes reports of Jony Ive frustrated with him In its latest transparency report for the period July-December 2018, the Cupertino-based iPhone maker revealed it received 80 requests from 11 countries to remove 770 apps …

Apple suspends another spyware app from App Store
5 years, 8 months ago

Apple suspends another spyware app from App Store

Live Mint  

San Francisco: Immediately after spyware-maker Connexxa's infamous app "Assistenza SIM" was caught abusing the iOS enterprise certificate to bypass Apple's App Store guidelines, the iPhone-maker revoked its enterprise certificate, making it un-installable on iOS devices. The iOS enterprise certificate, that is meant "solely for the internal distribution of apps within an organisation" otherwise, allowed the "Assistenza" app to bypass the …

Google: 30.3 million app downloads on the Play Store in 2018 were potentially harmful
5 years, 9 months ago

Google: 30.3 million app downloads on the Play Store in 2018 were potentially harmful

Firstpost  

Google’s Android is by far one of the most popular mobile operating systems in the world today but security issues have always been a cause of concern for the company. The company has been trying to tackle these issues over time, making changes to the way permissions are approved for Android apps, however, an estimate by SensorTower states that as …

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