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This discussion has been archived.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.
(1)
  • (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.

    • (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.

  • (Score: 5, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday January 16 2018, @10:18PM (2 children)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Tuesday January 16 2018, @10:18PM (#623329) Homepage Journal

    from the remember-when-the-internet-was-a-safe-place? dept.

    I know, right? When the hell did they start putting games in my porn?

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 3, Informative) by bob_super on Tuesday January 16 2018, @10:44PM

      by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday January 16 2018, @10:44PM (#623339)

      At least a couple decades ago (rule 34 wasn't invented yesterday). Oddly they always forget to show us how well the girl actually chains the combos, or anything else on her screen, for that matter.

    • (Score: 2) by TheRaven on Wednesday January 17 2018, @10:36AM

      by TheRaven (270) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @10:36AM (#623521) Journal

      When the hell did they start putting games in my porn?

      1981? [wikipedia.org]

      --
      sudo mod me up
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:36AM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:36AM (#623371)

    At one time people were worried about worms, viruses and other spyware on the internet. Now when you buy a hand-held computer (with a phone function), you are buying spyware. (They spy on you and make you pay for it!). In addition to that, installing spyware that was developed by and is being monitored by agencies such as the jewish/khazarian Mossad and CIA. They do this in real time. Whenever you touch a button on your phone, it phones home to Mossad telling them of your interaction. What you type on your phone shows up in real time on the computer screen of a jew/khazarian in israel. That thought makes me sick.

    • (Score: 1) by anubi on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:56AM

      by anubi (2828) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @03:56AM (#623422) Journal

      Oh gawd what a moderation nightmare.... you show great insight but troll like a sunuvagun.

      As far as I am concerned, my phone is a handheld whore, not to be trusted with anything, but - despite her shortcomings - at least she's useful for a few things. But downloading apps willy-nilly? I don't believe the OS is up to snuff yet to rein-in the bad behaviour that can be coded into apps by malicious programmers. Nor have I seen an OS which will work with me to "micromanage" apps, doing things like showing me exactly what the app is doing. While the industry "works with Congress" to pass LAW that makes understanding what your machine is doing - aka "reverse engineering", to be an illegal activity.

      Some of the software industry is having a wet dream with Congress... having the ability to codify law that in essence says: In order to buy this car, you must sign this legally binding agreement. You are NOT allowed to read the given document, or discuss among yourselves the legal language within, but you MUST obey it, and take responsibility for whatever grief it causes you.

      Your Congressmen passed this. Rounds of handshakes between Congressmen and self-proclaimed Rightsholders follow. And you remain lawfully ignorant. And get to incessantly bleat about even to this day not being able to open an email document.

      This mess did not just happen... it took Acts of Congress to implement/mandate such stupidity.

      --
      "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by SomeGuy on Wednesday January 17 2018, @04:10AM (3 children)

      by SomeGuy (5632) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @04:10AM (#623433)

      A big reason people started using "smart phones" was to get away from the crap running on desktop PCs. And now that these smart phones have reached a critical mass, this same crap has migrated to their smart phone.

      Time to go back to "dumb" phones.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by anubi on Wednesday January 17 2018, @07:03AM (1 child)

        by anubi (2828) on Wednesday January 17 2018, @07:03AM (#623472) Journal

        I'd gladly settle for a smartphone with a trustworthy OS. I was hoping Android would gravitate this way. Apple to me was a proprietary "walled garden", great for those who need everything vetted and sold to them like dishes in expensive restaurants. Microsoft... uhhh what happens if I open an email?

        I was hoping Android would gravitate to a simple OS that runs stuff in sandboxes. If some sandbox resident starts flinging poo, document the poo, and let me dump the sandbox and invite something else in.

        --
        "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:54PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @12:54PM (#623557)

          I'd gladly settle for a featurephone with a trustworthy OS.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @06:57PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 17 2018, @06:57PM (#623722)

        This one never left. Still carries and age old dumbphone that talks UMTS, that can optionally be paired up with a computer or "smartphone" (PDA more like it) for mobile data connectivity when the need arises.

        Just need a bit more pocket space than the pervasive t-shirt and skinny jeans allows for...

(1)