Fraudulent entertainment and dating apps, malicious apps posing as useful tools, and ‘weaponised’ legitimate apps continue to proliferate, warned software security company McAfee.
It also revealed that Android-based malware grew 35 per cent in the second quarter, a growth rate not seen since early 2012.
According to the McAfee Labs Q2 report, fraudulent dating and entertainment apps that trick users into signing up for non-existent paid services have surged during the period. As well as user payments, criminals will profit from selling on user information and personal data stolen from devices.
Legitimate apps that have been altered to act like spyware — or Trojanised apps — are also on the up. These collect data such as contact information, call logs, SMS messages and location, which are uploaded to cybercriminal’s servers.
The third group of fraudulent app with rising use are fake apps posing as useful tools, such as app installers. These can install spyware that collect and forward valuable personal information.
