Kids’ Apps in Play Store had Pornographic Malware

A fresh discovery about Google Play Store's content is that malware had infected some sixty children's applications. This malware, reportedly, aims at displaying porn ads to viewers.

The applications -currently no more inside Play- primarily had Disney themes as well as add-ons to boost the efficacy of Minecraft's pocket version, the entire lot collected for younger users. The malicious software known as AdultSwine is the discovery of Check Point a security company. It works either as exhibiting porn advertisements related to adult websites, or pretending to be security software which cajoles end-users to take them down and load them onto their systems, or creating situations so end-users would register to obtain premium services.

A report by CNN states the AdultSwine tainted applications have gone through downloads of 3m and more attempts.

All the applications are gaming applications consisting of titles namely Paw Puppy Run Subway Surf, Subway Banana Run Surf, and Mcqueen Car Racing Game. According to Daniel Padon, Security Researcher at Check Point during an interview to CNN Tech, somebody alternatively some team of hackers designed the malware-tainted gaming apps from actually non-existent publishers for spreading their ware while churning income out of the scheme.

The malicious applications when downloaded exhibited intensive pornographic ads in pop-up windows via one fresh web-page as well as tried frightening end-users into loading phony security fixes. They even tried getting end-users into purchasing useless premium services, thus discovered Check Point researchers. Wavy.com posted this on the Web dated January 22, 2018.

The Google's "Designed for Families" program did not have its applications tainted with the AdultSwine malware. The said program mandates children's applications for kids under 13 to be part of it as stated on the company's online site.

Unfortunately, even though Google takes precautions for its security, malevolent applications still make entry to the Play Store. In 2017, there were 303 such applications inside Play Store as Check Point discovered. Hence, owners of Android devices must ensure they take down applications only from established developers while young users' parents should take down only those applications that the family program of Google provides.

» SPAMfighter News - 1/31/2018