Cyber security researchers have once again helped Google remove rogue apps from the official game store that falsely labeled themselves as cryptomining services. Security firm Trend Micro reported eight such Android apps, which asked users to pay for non-existent cloud mining operations. "Upon analysis, we found that these rogue apps only tricked victims into viewing ads, paying for subscription services with an average monthly fee of €15, and paying for increased mining capacities without getting anything in return," Cifer Fang wrote. , Mobile Threat Analyst. at Trend Micro.
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According to Fang, all eight reported apps were infected with the AndroidOS_FakeMinerPay or AndroidOS_FakeMinerAd malware.
Difficult battle
This is not the first time that researchers have uncovered rogue apps on the Play Store hoping to cash in on the cryptocurrency craze. Last month, the Lookout Threat Lab identified around 170 such apps, more than two dozen of which were listed on the Play Store, and managed to trick thousands of users into paying for non-existent cloud mining operations. As before, Google moved quickly to remove the eight malicious apps that Trend Micro highlighted. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. “According to data from Trend Micro's Mobile App Reputation Service (MARS), more than 120 fake cryptocurrency mining apps are still available online. These apps, which lack cryptocurrency mining capabilities and lure users to view embedded ads, affected more than 4.500 users worldwide from July 2020 to July 2021,” Fang reveals. Although some malicious apps may enter the Play Store, to protect yourself from threats, users are advised to download apps exclusively from official app stores and search for new online services to verify their legitimacy.