Posted on 07/07/2020 9:30:25 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Evina, a French cybersecurity firm, disclosed this news in recent weeks, with its report that a single threat group developed the batch of apps that were made to look like everything from wallpaper and flashlight apps to mobile games. However, all the apps had the same goal, as Evina explains in its report of the fraud.
“When an application is launched on your phone, the malware queries the application name,” the company explains. “If it is a Facebook application, the malware will launch a browser that loads Facebook at the same time. The browser is displayed in the foreground which makes you think that the application launched it. When you enter your credentials into this browser, the malware executes javascript to retrieve them. The malware then sends your account information to a server.”
One thing to note is that when Google pulled the apps from the Play Store after Evina shared its findings, the search giant also disables the apps on the user’s end — in addition to notifying the user via the Play Store’s Play Protect service.
According to Evina, it informed Google about the apps in late May. Google investigated and took action in June, though some of the apps have been live in the Play Store since at least 2019. Cumulatively, according to the French firm, these apps garnered more than 2 million downloads
(Excerpt) Read more at bgr.com ...
I’m not gonna say I love my dumb phone because I rarely bother to keep it charged....
Stealing data from my flip phone?!
Nevermind, I’m good. :)
Evina = Naive
As a dyed-in-the-wool former flip-phone user, you can have my iPhone when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
The lesson here isn’t to shun technology, it’s to shun sketchy, unknown games and apps.
The same lesson that you use on your desktop or laptop computer...
I have to rely on WhatsApp which was bought out by Facebook. Click on the link for the suspected programs. Many are wallpaper and other stuff I wouldn’t use.
It would be wise to take a minimalistic attitude to apps. Don’t download every app you see.
“The lesson here isn’t to shun technology, it’s to shun sketchy, unknown games and apps.”
I’m just being a wise guy. I don’t have a smart phone because I’m cheap, and don’t need one. My flip phone is $10/mo on my wife’s bill. If we do need something like navigation, or a quick lookup, she has a smart phone.
I don’t do social apps from my cell. I don’t bank, gamble or very little else and am prolly still vulnerable.
question- if one uses an app- like say walmart app, or some other store app to purchase online with credit card, then removes the credit card from the store app after a purchase- will it be ‘relatively safe’ then? (I know the store itself will likely still have the number- even though the person deletes the card from the site- but it ‘won’t be’ as accessible to other sites then i would think?
We tried for family members who can’t get out, using gift cards, but the apps wouldn’t accept them- then tried using debit card- to limit the amount hackers could get if anything went wrong, but nope- they wouldn’t accept that either-
looking for a safe way relatively speaking for online shopping for folks that need to get delivery-
I’ve lost my tracphone for 3 months that I use for emergencies. . .Have a land line. . .If they are tracking me on my trac phone . . .it isn’t going to be very interesting.
The thought of doing banking — or anything financial — on my cell phone makes me hyperventilate it’s so terrifying. I don’t even do email on it.
Beware of sending gift cards physically. In April I sent 4 to different recipients. One to a lady who needed food and essentials. She called me one day and knowing her, I was a little surprised that she didn’t mention it and I certainly wasn’t looking for thanks. She never received it. I then checked on the others. They didn’t get theirs either. One was sent 3 weeks prior. It was a 3 month hassle to get my money back and hours on the phone. Beware!
Not android, but on my computer I have Zone Alarm. Ads were coming in on the lower right side of the computer.. I wanted to find where it was coming from. Looking around I saw a little red circle on the Zone Alarm app on the computer. Clicked on it and it told me a 3rd party had used Zone Alarm for ads... and Zone Alarm had allowed it.
Not pleased at all....
I was being a smart(dumb)ass, too. I had a flip phone and I never thought I needed a smart phone, they're way too expensive.
My wife insisted on getting one, so we bought the cheapest iPhone we could find at the time, which was the 5C. I ended up having so much phone envy that 3 months later I had a 5C, too.
Never get one, they're too addicting, and you're right, they cost an arm and a leg.
google stealing personal data???
NONSENSE!!!!!!
My flip phone is $10/mo on my wife’s bill.
Thanks, i would be giving the card to them personally- (They can use it at places like walmart.com website itself,, or amazon or whatever- but weirdly they can’t use it with apps i found out- Credit card only- The people don’t like having to use their credit cards online for things if they can help it- but i don’t know of any other way for them- lots of thigns they eat can’t be purchased from the walmart online site which includes delivery, only through the app can they mostly get things that are perishable - the walmart site online basically only send out non perishable items like meat, fruit etc-
just looking for good solution so they don’t have to use credit cards if possible- or if so, deleting the cards after a purchase- then just reenter it next time, delete- rinse repeat- but not sure if that will protect their card better or not-
Flip phones are causing some problems with a few of my folks struggling with 2 factor.
The MS app works great when it finally registers.
My location is a major cell phone dead area. There are a few magic spots outside that one could get a text sometime.
I use my smartphone (Moto G5 Plus) for two things: making/receiving phone calls and, because I live in the country and there’s no direct broadband out here, Internet/email via the smartphone tethered to the WiFi on my computer.
That’s it. More than I could ask for.
I read articles about folks getting owned by tictok, facebook, twitter, etc. and laugh. Stupid people play stupid games.
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