Disguising malware as a free version of a popular game (such as Cut the Rope and Assassin’s Creed) seems to be a popular tactic that the bad guys are using to scam users of Google’s Android Market app store. Overnight more malware appeared in Google’s official app repository.
The Trojanized games have been uploaded by a company calling itself Eldar Limited. This is the second time in two weeks malware disguised as free games has been uploaded to the Android Market.
These have now been removed by Google, but their appearance in the official Android Market in the first place is worrying. Not only is Google putting Android users into contact with malware, it is also allowing the brand names of reputable companies to be tarnished by letting the bad guys upload this stuff to the Android Market in the first place.
The folks at F-Secure have a tip to help you figure out whether a free app is genuine or not.
A useful tip for users out there is to search for the paid version of the app and take note of the developer’s name. If the name on both paid and free versions matches, then it is very likely to be a safe app. Otherwise, don’t proceed with the download.
Good medicine!
If you’ve downloaded and installed these apps then needless to day you should uninstall them immediately. Oh, and watch out for more malware over the holidays.
