New Android adware found in 200 apps on Google Play | Hacker News Reader

New Android adware found in 200 apps on Google Play

techcrunch.com

50 pointsErrorcod312 comments

If the apps have been removed from the google play store, but not user's devices, would they be identified by the play protect scanning feature?

I think so, if im not mistaken it will auto-remove such apps from the users device as well.

Some of these app names sound like malware anyway...

For real, 5 million people downloaded "Water Surfing Car Stunt"? Like what the heck? Meanwhile I try making something serious and half a dozen people see it.

I'm guessing most of those were from "click farms" which in turn made those apps more visible.

It's likely those downloads are just bots used by the malware creator to make the app seem more legitimate / popular.

Possibly but how can you make 5M accounts like that without it costing a ton of $$ ...

I bet there are "get downloads for you app service" out there that people rent out to create download stats.

2nd hit on Google for "buy app downloads google play": https://labinator.com/online-services/buy-app-downloads-andr...

Looks like you get 1,000 downloads for $155

making fake accounts only gets expensive if you need to blow SIMs on them. if you don't need SIMs, your only big operational cost is residential ips (via botnet), which aren't all that expensive

That link provides no actual information. It's like a superhero film: junk food for the mind.

Here's the actual article at Check Point, not linked from the garbage article: https://research.checkpoint.com/simbad-a-rogue-adware-campai...

Turns out the malware is delivered in the RXDrioder SDK, which developers incorporated to get ad revenue, I guess.

Check Point claims that the app developers appear to have been hoodwinked into incorporating the SDK because they are independent of the SDK developer. Which may mean that these DL numbers are not as inflated as people think.

Fuck. If that's true, our app market really is driven by 12-year-old boys. Which is why my serious technical apps with years of development behind them are selling like 3 copies. And why Apple thinks innovation equals new emojis.

Isn't Android Adware ?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com