Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by cmn32480 on Tuesday January 16 2018, @09:38PM   Printer-friendly
from the remember-when-the-internet-was-a-safe-place? dept.

Sixty games were booted off the Play Store after security firm Check Point discovered that they contained pornographic ads and malicious components. Before their removal, the games were downloaded between 3 million and 7 million times, according to the download metrics on the Play Store.

The malware is dubbed "AdultSwine," and according to Check Point Research, it had three main features:

  1. Displaying ads from the Web that are often highly inappropriate and pornographic
  2. Attempting to trick users into installing fake "security apps"
  3. Inducing users to register to premium services at the user's expense

The 60 listings in the Play Store were generally knockoff games, like "Five Nights Survival Craft." In some cases, the creator simply stole a real IP, as in "Drawing Lessons Angry Birds." Once installed, the app would phone home, sending information about the user's phone and receiving instructions on how to operate. The app could hide its icon, making removal more difficult. Check Point says the malware could display ads from "the main ad providers" or switch to its own ad server, which provided porn ads, scareware ads, and ads that tricked the user into signing up for premium services. AdultSwine not only displayed ads while users played the game that came with the malware; it could also show pop-up ads on top of other apps.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/games-with-pornographic-ads-slip-through-play-store-filters/


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 3, Informative) by DavePolaschek on Tuesday January 16 2018, @09:51PM (4 children)

    by DavePolaschek (6129) on Tuesday January 16 2018, @09:51PM (#623313) Homepage Journal

    A cow-orker got one of those on a free (ad-supported) game in the iOS store. Don't remember the exact name, but it was one of those games that was initially in Flash on FB.

    So much for "careful curation" saving us from malware.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Informative=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:26AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:26AM (#623367)

    Did he really ork your cow?

    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:58AM

      by anubi (2828) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:58AM (#623424) Journal

      The interoffice memo said he did!

      And the big boss signed it!

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by anubi on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:40AM (1 child)

    by anubi (2828) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:40AM (#623417) Journal

    So much for "careful curation" saving us from malware.

    "Careful curation" will not save us from malware anymore than posting security guards around bridge pylons will save us from a Tacoma Narrows type disaster.

    This is an OS issue, and the OS obviously has bad design, not keeping track and control of that which it is supposedly in control over.

    There has to be a "Chain of Command" in place in our computer architecture, just as it is in our social order. If someone steps out of line, he must be accountable and controllable by his superior.

    Things like the ability to hide icons, not be detectable/deletable/accountable... things like this are intolerable, and only lead to grief when the bad guys do it. Its best that NO-ONE can do it. By design.

    For the same reason that driving by a power plant, and sending it a "specially coded message" will blow it up.

    Although the lien-holder may love to have that option, so as to enforce his right to settle payment disputes, once the ability to do such a thing gets out, nobody's power plant is safe.

    But that's the state of our computational infrastructure, as codified into Law by a Congress who has demonstrated to me, by their actions, that they really have no idea how a computer actually works.

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @10:26PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @10:26PM (#623862)

      "Careful curation" will not save us from malware anymore than posting security guards around bridge pylons will save us from a Tacoma Narrows type disaster.

      The solution is simple:

      You must construct additional pylons.