Researchers are ringing the alarm again after locating plenty of threat actors known to be behind a new advertising app operation. While the operation was first delineated way back in 2019, experts believe the threat has expanded to other areas.
But the shocking part is related to how so many apps have undergone millions of downloads on both the App Store of Apple as well as Google Play. The actors have also been outlined as being sophisticated and evading threat detection systems.
At first, the report says that it was just limited to Android apps but now, the threat is mightier on Apple’s iOS system.
The news comes to us thanks to research published by the Human Security Satori team. This entailed around 80 different apps from Android (names featured below along with the total number of installs) that started to lurk around on Google Play, while only 9 of them were seen on the App Store, including Loot the Castle, Run Bridge, Shinning Gun, Racing Legend 3D, Rope Runner, Wood Sculptor, Fire-Wall, Ninja Critical Hit, com.TonyRuns.game.
But the shocking part is related to how so many apps have undergone millions of downloads on both the App Store of Apple as well as Google Play. The actors have also been outlined as being sophisticated and evading threat detection systems.
At first, the report says that it was just limited to Android apps but now, the threat is mightier on Apple’s iOS system.
The news comes to us thanks to research published by the Human Security Satori team. This entailed around 80 different apps from Android (names featured below along with the total number of installs) that started to lurk around on Google Play, while only 9 of them were seen on the App Store, including Loot the Castle, Run Bridge, Shinning Gun, Racing Legend 3D, Rope Runner, Wood Sculptor, Fire-Wall, Ninja Critical Hit, com.TonyRuns.game.
As a whole, the team reports that such apps were being downloaded about 13 million times.
So after getting downloaded, these malicious apps affect other apps and make them rack up views for digital ads while playing hidden ads that users can’t detect. The whole idea is to gain fake views and even track users’ data.
By keeping a check and balance on what ads are being clicked on, they really do make the whole process so much more believable for obvious reasons.
The researchers claim they’ve flagged out the apps posing as a danger from such stores and have even highlighted how a group dubbed Scylla is behind the ordeal. At the start of their operation, the group was known as Poseidon and that was further changed to the name Charybdis. So as you can see, different tactics are being used to generate a new and more dangerous type of third attack from such actors.
But seeing the disruption take place is now a whole new evolution for threat actors getting exposed related to this particular scheme. Seeing the threat actors come around iOS apps is definitely a concern that people are noticing as it means the threat is getting bigger and expanding to other parts of the digital ecosystem.
Human Security reportedly joined hands with both Google and Apple to eliminate the threat and delete such apps from the stores but it’s an ongoing process as they’re collaborating with developers linked to advertising software to bring about the fallout in the threat campaign.
Read next: Torrenting and Piracy Platforms Are Exposing Users to Malware Through Ads
So after getting downloaded, these malicious apps affect other apps and make them rack up views for digital ads while playing hidden ads that users can’t detect. The whole idea is to gain fake views and even track users’ data.
By keeping a check and balance on what ads are being clicked on, they really do make the whole process so much more believable for obvious reasons.
The researchers claim they’ve flagged out the apps posing as a danger from such stores and have even highlighted how a group dubbed Scylla is behind the ordeal. At the start of their operation, the group was known as Poseidon and that was further changed to the name Charybdis. So as you can see, different tactics are being used to generate a new and more dangerous type of third attack from such actors.
But seeing the disruption take place is now a whole new evolution for threat actors getting exposed related to this particular scheme. Seeing the threat actors come around iOS apps is definitely a concern that people are noticing as it means the threat is getting bigger and expanding to other parts of the digital ecosystem.
Human Security reportedly joined hands with both Google and Apple to eliminate the threat and delete such apps from the stores but it’s an ongoing process as they’re collaborating with developers linked to advertising software to bring about the fallout in the threat campaign.
Read next: Torrenting and Piracy Platforms Are Exposing Users to Malware Through Ads
