Android apps lure users into subscription trap – 100 million affected

Although the Google Play Store is known to be completely secure and trustworthy as the apps available for download there have been checked, scammers were once again able to circumvent the security mechanism. The scam called the “dark herring” is rampant; Nearly 470 Android apps attracted visitors

105 million users

one around the world

two year period

in a premium service

abofle

, a cherished

millions of dollars in damage

Reason!

Why was the scam undetected for so long?

For two years, the “dark herring” was able to extort money from users’ pockets in front of security experts

symperium
(a Google partner) has now published this scam. The success of the scam is mainly based on the high number of apps, code obscurity, use of proxies, and antivirus detection capabilities. While these are not new scams, it is really rare for Android app scams to combine them all into one piece of software.

The reason why the scam worked so well is because about 470 apps, some of which were downloaded millions of times, were actually completely harmless and harmless. A customized webview page prompted users to provide their phone number to allegedly receive a temporary passcode to activate the account in the app. Users fell into the trap of subscribing to a premium service, which was billed for their mobile phone bill.

Google has already removed the affected apps

Google has already removed the apps identified by security experts from the Play Store. Incidentally, most of the apps come from the entertainment sector, but scams also include photos apps, games, and productivity apps.

Popular “dark herring” apps include the following apps with millions of downloads (more apps

can be found here on github
,

what should you do now

Control

github-list
With “dark herring” apps have you actually used any applications. If it’s still there on your smartphone, delete the app. Also check your mobile phone bill for subscription traps. If you see any discrepancy, inform your provider and try to get the money back.