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posted by
martyb
on Friday January 05 2018, @03:50PM
from the the-play's-the-thing-where-I'll-capture... dept.
from the the-play's-the-thing-where-I'll-capture... dept.
TrendMicro has discovered 36 apps in Google Play that execute unwanted behavior:
These apps posed as useful security tools under the names Security Defender, Security Keeper, Smart Security, Advanced Boost, and more. They also advertised a variety of capabilities: scanning, cleaning junk, saving battery, cooling the CPU, locking apps, as well as message security, WiFi security, and so on.
The apps were actually able to perform these simple tasks, but they also secretly harvested user data, tracked user location, and aggressively pushed advertisements.
The apps in question have been removed from Google Play.
Related: Google Pauses Crackdown on Apps That Use Accessibility Features
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Apps on Google Play Disguised as Security Tools Instead Serve Ads and Track Users' Location
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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
When I met th'POPE back in '58, I scrubbed him with a MILD SOAP or
DETERGENT for 15 minutes. He seemed to enjoy it ...
(Score: 3, Touché) by lentilla on Saturday January 06 2018, @01:15AM
Actually (and at the risk of starting a flamewar), I will take you up on the challenge: had Linux been an FSF project, we would not have had to put up with that ridiculous SCO debacle [wikipedia.org].
Now I'm not stating a position on whether Linux should have been an FSF project... but I am saying we would have avoided years of damage and millions of dollars of legal fees.