Google Play Store is being flooded with SMS scam apps

Google Play Storehouse is being flooded with SMS scam apps

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Criminals awash the Google Play Store with scam applications that sneakily signs users into premium SMS services.

Researchers by asecurity vendor Avast discovered a campaign it has titled UltimaSMS, which so far has uncovered 150 scammy apps.

According to Avast, the apps have been collectively downloaded finished 10 million multiplication, and potty be victims, who are not rewarded some type of return, upwards of $40 per month, depending on their location and mobile carrier.

"The apps are all nearly identical in terms of how they function, which leads me to believe that a single actor or group of bad actors is behind the campaign," said Jakub Vávra, threat analyst at Avast.

Disguised as legitimate apps

Avast's research has revealed that the apps disguise themselves as custom keyboards, QR code scanners, video editors and photo editors, Spam holler blockers, camera filters, and mobile games, among others.

Vávra says the apps promote themselves via ads happening social media networks, such as TikTok and Instagram, which atomic number 2 believes is a informatory signed about the size and impact of this particular campaign.

Once downloaded, the apps check the users' device location, IMEI, and phone number to determine in which speech communication to display the scam.

"The apps are cloaked as genuine apps through well constructed app profiles happening the Child's play Store….However, when attractive a closer look back, they have generic privacy policy statements, feature fundamental developer profiles including taxonomic category netmail addresses," explains Vávra.

Avast reported the scammy apps to Google's Security Squad, which resulted in their fleet removal from the Play Stack away.

With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he's TechRadar Affirmative's skilled connected the topic. Course, he's just as interested in some other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.