Avast Blog_Security News : Apps with adware and more security news

[jasonX]

Fake apps has been around victimizing android users and stealing information from their host. At least Google Play has detected them and removed it but the hunt goes on...

When a fake app is downloaded, they hide themselves on the victim’s device and continue to show a full-screen ad every 15 minutes.
--Threatpost

Avast shares us relevant information about Google Play removing 85 fake apps from their store and other relevant news/info. Below are excerpts from the Avast Blog courtesy of the Avast Security News Team Threat Research Team. Related and  pertinent links are also added.  Read on below.

85 apps found with adware on Google Play, Windows introduces reserve storage, and Neiman Marcus settles its 2013 data breach.

Beware the adware
Google Play has removed 85 fake apps from their store this week, all of them found to contain similar adware. Many of the apps claimed to be video channels or racing games, but by far the most popular was “Easy Universal TV Remote,” which had been downloaded over 5 million times. Together, all 85 fakes apps have been downloaded over 9 million times by users around the world.

Cybersecurity researchers discovered the adware family and tested every one of the 85 apps, finding little difference in the behavior of the malicious code. Once the fake app is installed and opened, it immediately displays a full-screen ad. When that ad is closed, the fake home screen of the app is shown with its call-to-action button (START, PLAY, etc.). Tapping the button triggers another full-screen ad. When that ad is closed, more app-related buttons are displayed, each triggering another full-screen ad. When that ad is closed, the fake app claims to be buffering, then it disappears, hiding its icon from the home screen. It then continues to run in the background, popping up full-screen ads on the device at regular intervals. Some of the apps also were found to monitor home screen action, popping up ads as soon as the device is unlocked.

Windows pulls 7GB for storage
In its next large rollout of Windows 10, Microsoft is issuing a fix to a problem that originated with its October 2018 update — namely, Windows Update not checking first if there is enough storage on the computer to handle its updates. The “fix” may not be good news to users with low-memory systems, however, because it entails reserving 7GB of the system’s own disk space to be used solely for update installation...

More Info HERE
https://blog.avast.com/adware-on-google-...urity-news



Related News_Google Play Boots 85 Malicious Adware Apps
https://threatpost.com/google-play-boots...ps/140713/