Malicious apps on the Play Store have registered over 10.5 million downloads, exposing countless people, including Poles, to unexpected costs.
To paraphrase a certain politician, this is our climate and Malicious apps in Play Store They shouldn’t surprise anyone. However, Avast researchers point out that we’re talking about a campaign with an astonishingly large scale.
UltimaSMS, as the attack has been christened, is an example of a scam Featured SMSWhich aims to induce the unaware user to subscribe to the paid messaging service.
According to the analysis, the campaign was launched in May 2021 to spread mainly to the countries of the Middle East, but also to the United States and Poland. It is not known how many people fell victim to it, but researchers believe the malware was running At least 10.5 million smartphones.
The applications, which feature various utility and entertainment functions, requested vague marketing approval shortly after installation. In practice, they started it Paid subscription up to $40. (about 158.5 PLN).
In total, it was discovered and indicated exactly 151 of these items, 82 of which, experts assert, remain available all the time. We publish a list of the most popular above.
If you accidentally use any of them – feel free and kill the pest immediately. Also, be sure to check the list of active premium services. It is unlikely that the operator will return your lost money, because there is no such basis, but at least you can protect yourself in the future.
Image source: Unsplash (@Tomasz Zagórki)
Text source: Avast, ed. King
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