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Researchers spot fake mobile antivirus scanners on Google Play

Summary: Security researchers from AegisLab have spotted numerous fake mobile antivirus scanners, currently available for download at Google's Play marketplace.

Dancho Danchev

By for Zero Day |

Think that just because you're downloading an application from an official application store, you're safe from malicious software? Think twice.

Security researchers from AegisLab have spotted numerous fake mobile antivirus scanners, currently available for download at Google's Play marketplace.

This isn't the first time that a fake mobile antivirus has been spotted in the wild, and definitely not the last. Last year, security researchers from CA spotted a bogus Kaspersky-branded fake mobile antivirus application.

Users are advised to only download applications from known and trusted publishers, and to to avoid secondary marketplaces as much as possible, and to also double-checked that they're downloading the official version of a particular application, not a bogus version of it.

Find out more about Dancho Danchev at his LinkedIn profile, or follow him on Twitter.

Topics: Social Enterprise, Google, Hardware, Mobility

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9 comments
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  • So, how is one to determine who is a "from known and trusted publisher"?

    Legit question as I am not an Android user ....
    whatagenda
    Reply Vote

    • Simple

      Thasminola is not the company that publishes Kapersky AV and most have seriously questionable names when you see stuff like this.
      slickjim
      Reply Vote

      • That is all well and good for

        someone fully immersed in Android ... what do I tell my co-workers that just got Android ... moving up from a old flip phone?Is it pretty much the same players as in the desktop A/V business?
        whatagenda
        Reply Vote

      • Yes

        It is pretty much the same players as in the desktop. Sure there will be a few others but all the big names are there.

        With Android, you can actually go to the 3rd party website and they will usually link you to their products in the Play Store so it really isn't hard to avoid.
        slickjim
        Reply Vote

      • Thanks.

        That is what I was looking for.
        whatagenda
        Reply Vote

      • While I agree

        I still feel, Google should publish in BOLD about these fraudsters or at least as soon as you open the Play Store, it should tell you about the known and banned crooks.
        Ram U
        Reply Vote

      • Not so simple...

        Most people probably wouldn't notice and, moving outside of anti-malware apps, most people have heard of Angry Birds, yet I would guess, going by my circle of friends, that probably 20% know who makes it...

        And I doubt many actually look at the maker of the game, they'll look at the name and the screenshots, then hit download.
        wright_is
        Reply Vote

    • @ Rama.NET

      Given Google does now have a vetting process, it's pretty clear that Google doesn't know these are fraudulent until after they're already in the store.

      And regarding known and trusted publishers, doesn't that stifle innovation, or at least adoption? I mean, personally I'm pretty cautious of what I download, but if nobody installed apps from new publishers, the app stores would have 1% of the titles they do now, if they were lucky. Would Rovio, Instagram, Evernote, etc. ever have even surfaced? To an extent, the success of the app stores is dependent upon users installing apps from unknown publishers.
      piousmonk
      Reply Vote

      • Google's vetting process is just ...

        ... publish everything until somebody complains.

        The vetting process is a joke.
        wackoae
        Reply Vote
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