Skip to main content

This fake Android Minecraft app is just chock-full of adware

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support

Millions of gamers have been tricked into downloading fake Minecraft Android apps that run ads in the background, earning serious profit for the developers. 

Cybersecurity researchers from McAfee recently discovered 38 games posing as Minecraft for the Android platform, running adverts in the background without user knowledge, or consent.

Of the 38 games, the most popular ones are Block Box Master Diamond (10 million downloads), Craft Sword Mini Fun (5 million), Block Box Skyland Sword (5 million), and Craft Monster Crazy Sword (5 million). 

Games play as advertised

Block Pro Forrest Diamond, Block Game Skyland Forrest, Block Rainbow Sword Dragon, Craft Rainbow Mini Builder, and Block Forrest Tree Crazy all have one million downloads each. They were all found on the Google Play Store, and not on third-party, or obscure repositories.

Aside from the smartphone heating up, or performing somewhat slower than what one might expect, there is no way for the user to actually know they’re being served ads, the researchers said. Yet, even these two symptoms might be written off as normal behavior when running a mobile game. To make matters even more difficult - the apps all perform as advertised - the users actually get to play the game.

Read more

> This Android malware is so dangerous, even Google is worried

> These malicious Android apps have been downloaded over a million times

> Check out the best firewalls around

Most victims were located either in the United States, or China, the researchers say. Brazil, Iran, the UK, and Germany, were also bigger victims. 

Minecraft is one of the most popular games in the world, today. It’s a sandbox game that allows players to gather resources and create their own environment. There are two modes in the game, a survival mode in which players are required to gather resources, build the world and survive against hostile mobs, and a creative mode in which players get all the resources they need to build whatever they imagine.

Minecraft is currently the best-selling video game of all time, with 238 million copies sold. According to ActivePlayer, it has more than 170 million monthly active players. 

Via: BleepingComputer



via Hosting & Support
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Web Hosting
Remote IT Support
Sites & Socials
Computing Handbook - $9.95

Popular posts from this blog

Microsoft, Google, and Meta have borrowed EV tech for the next big thing in data centers: 1MW watercooled racks

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support Liquid cooling isn't optional anymore, it's the only way to survive AI's thermal onslaught The jump to 400VDC borrows heavily from electric vehicle supply chains and design logic Google’s TPU supercomputers now run at gigawatt scale with 99.999% uptime As demand for artificial intelligence workloads intensifies, the physical infrastructure of data centers is undergoing rapid and radical transformation. The likes of Google, Microsoft, and Meta are now drawing on technologies initially developed for electric vehicles (EVs), particularly 400VDC systems, to address the dual challenges of high-density power delivery and thermal management. The emerging vision is of data center racks capable of delivering up to 1 megawatt of power, paired with liquid cooling systems engineered to manage the resulting heat. Borrowing EV technology for data center evolution The shift to 400VDC power distribution marks a decisive break from legacy sy...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Apple Watch ban is lifted, on appeal – but the reprieve might only be temporary

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support The Apple Watch ban story has developed quickly over the last week and a bit, and there's now a new twist: the US Court of Appeals is putting a pause on the US sales and import ban while it reviews the case, which means the Apple Watch 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 can go back on sale for the time being. "We are thrilled to return the full Apple Watch lineup to customers in time for the new year," an Apple spokesperson told TechRadar. "We are pleased the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has stayed the exclusion order while it considers our request to stay the order pending our full appeal." The watches in question are now once again available from "select" Apple Stores, and will also be going on sale from the Apple website from 12pm PT / 3pm ET on Thursday, December 28 (that's 8pm in the UK, and early on December 29 in Australia). All Apple Stores should have stock by the weekend. As for how long t...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Samsung Galaxy Ring could go into production as soon as next month

Web Hosting & Remote IT Support With the dust beginning to settle from the huge Samsung Unpacked 2023 event, we can turn our attention towards what Samsung might have planned next: and a smart ring seems to be in the company's near future. As per a report from South Korean outlet The Elec (via SamMobile ), mass production on a Samsung Galaxy Ring could begin as early as August, with a decision imminent on the schedule for getting the wearable manufactured and out to consumers. A full launch is slated for some point during 2024 though, rather than 2023. The nature of the device means that it'll need to clear several regulatory hurdles before it can go on sale and start tracking various vital statistics. An early 2024 launch would put the Galaxy Ring on a similar schedule to the Samsung Galaxy S24 – and it would therefore make sense to launch both gadgets at the same time, perhaps in January or February if Samsung follows its 2023 routine. The story so far Rumors ar...
Post a Comment
Read more