Esme brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our website, specializing in all aspects of DarkWeb security. With a deep understanding of the intricate workings of the DarkWeb and its associated cybersecurity risks, Esme curates insightful and informative content for our readers.
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Security experts have found a record collection of 38 Minecraft clone games in Google Play. All of the games installed HiddenAds adware on the victims’ computers, which downloaded adverts covertly in the background and brought in money for their developers.
Several publishers have attempted to copy or recreate the successful sandbox game Minecraft, which has 140 million active monthly players, in an effort to profit from its best-selling success. Some people, however, take things a step further and add malicious software to their “homemade crafts”.
The Infected Devices
Approximately 35 million smartphone owners worldwide have already downloaded games that are identical to Minecraft but full of malware. Brazil, South Korea, the US, and Canada account for the majority of purchases.
The majority of consumers weren’t even aware that dangerous adware was at work because the games they downloaded were perfectly legitimate and interruption-free. Additionally, any potential processor strain, network data increase, or battery drain brought on by loading a lot of ads in the background may be mistaken for being brought on by the game itself.
The Research
The experts team McAfeeMobile, a part of the App Defense Alliance, which was established to defend Google Play from all threats, found the adware mentioned above. All copies of the well-known game that had adware were deleted from Google Play when experts found dangerous programs.
According to McAfee specialists, there may be a relationship between all applications and even their production by an identical creator or a team of producers when the same adware is combined with similar game names.
Adware apps can affect mobile device speed, compromise user privacy, and even perhaps open users up to more risky infections. Despite this, they are not generally seen to be particularly dangerous for consumers.
Android users should verify if one of these 38 harmful programs is already installed on their devices, especially if they have small children who install everything from the Google Play Store. The McAfee report contains a complete list of programs with integrated adware. The names of the malicious packages are also listed in the researchers’ table along with the names of the applications.
If you discover such applications on your device, you should remove them right away. After that, use specialized software to scan your smartphone for other risks.