Beware, Android users! If you have any of the following apps installed, your phone may be vulnerable. According to the McAfee report, these apps were found to be engaging in suspicious activity on people’s devices.
The cybersecurity firm discovered 38 apps that had been downloaded by more than 350,000 users worldwide. They all claim to offer a Minecraft-like gaming experience. Minecraft is a hugely popular video game played primarily on consoles and PCs, with a paid mobile version as well. The app in question is trying to act as a free replacement for the original game.
For example, McAfee analyzed the Block Box Master Diamond game and found that it constantly sends suspicious ads from various domains to users’ devices. Not only does this result in slower devices, but it also generates unreasonable income for game developers. What makes this scheme especially dodgy is that users remain unaware of the constant stream of ads running in the background, since nothing is displayed on the game screen.
Block Box Master Diamond has amassed over 100,000 downloads (Image credit: McAfee)While the Google Play Store appears to have shut down most of these apps (if not all), they can continue to do malicious things on your device as long as you have them installed. This poses a serious security risk, so you are advised to remove them as soon as possible.
According to the McAfee report, malicious actors disguise malware as games to appeal to young people who are more likely to trust such games. The security firm advises users to double-check ratings and reviews before downloading any app from the store and keep their phones safe with the latest updates.