Malicious Apps Brought Ad-Clicking 'Judy' Malware To Millions Of Android Phones (fortune.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on Sunday May 28, 2017 @09:30AM from the malware-money dept.

An anonymous reader quotes Fortune: The security firm Checkpoint on Thursday uncovered dozens of Android applications that infected users' devices with malicious ad-click software. In at least one case, an app bearing the malware was available through the Google Play app store for more than a year. While the actual extent of the malicious code's spread is unknown, Checkpoint says it may have reached as many as 36.5 million users, making it potentially the most widely-spread malware yet found on Google Play... The nefarious nature of the programs went unnoticed in large part, according to Checkpoint, because its malware payload was downloaded from a non-Google server after the programs were installed. The code would then use the infected phone to click on Google ads, generating fraudulent revenue for the attacker.

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What's a malicious phone app? by Frosty+Piss · 2017-05-28 11:29 · Score: 3, Interesting

Odd, I've never had these sorts of problems. My phone is an iPhone 5s...

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Re:Android malware is profitable for Google and mf by The+MAZZTer · 2017-05-28 11:42 · Score: 3, Interesting

You do realize Google recently updated its Play Store developer EULA to ban apps that download and run binaries from non-Google Play Store locations, right? That will seal this hole. Sounds like Google is cracking down to me.