ChatGPT Scams Are Infiltrating Apple's App Store and Google Play

An explosion of interest in OpenAI’s sophisticated chatbot means a proliferation of “fleeceware” apps that trick users with sneaky in-app subscriptions...

Several New Play Store Apps Spotted Distributing Joker, Facestealer and Coper Malware — The Hacker News

Google has taken steps to ax dozens of fraudulent apps from the official Play Store that were spotted propagating Joker, Facestealer, and Coper malware families through the virtual marketplace. While the Android storefront is considered to be a trusted source for discovering and installing apps,...

Google Boots Multiple Malware-laced Android Apps from Marketplace

Google has removed eight apps from its Google Play store that were propagating a new variant of the Joker spyware, but not before they already had garnered more than 3 million downloads. French security researcher Maxime Ingrao of cybersecurity firm Evina discovered a malware that he dubbed...

Malicious Joker App Scores Half-Million Downloads on Google Play

The Joker malware is back again on Google Play, this time spotted in a mobile application called Color Message. The app was downloaded more than 500,000 times before its removal from the store. Users should immediately delete Color Message from their devices to avoid being defrauded, researchers ...

Android Trojan GriftHorse, the gift horse you definitely should look in the mouth

Researchers at Zimperium have discovered an aggressive mobile premium services campaign with over 10 million victims all over the world. The stolen amount could amass hundreds of millions of Euros. The scam was hidden behind malicious Android apps, and the researchers have named the Trojan...

GriftHorse Money-Stealing Trojan Takes 10M Android Users for a Ride

More than 10 million Android users have been saddled with a malware called GriftHorse that’s trojanizing various applications and secretly subscribing victims to premium mobile services – a type of billing fraud that researchers categorize as “fleeceware.” Zimperium uncovered more than 130...

Bad Apple: App Store Rife with Fraud, Fleeceware

A new analysis from the Washington Post reveals just how widespread fraud is across the Apple App Store, while also offering glimpse into the revenue flowing into Cupertino generated by those malicious activities. The Apple App Store has been under heightened scrutiny for maintaining its iron gri...

Fleeceware Apps Bank $400M in Revenue

About 204 different “fleeceware” applications with a combined billion+ downloads have raked in more than $400 million in revenue so far, via the Apple App Store and Google Play, analysis has revealed. Fleeceware apps generally offer users a free trial to “test” the app, before commencing automati...

Minecraft Apps on Google Play Fleece Players Out of Big Money

Fans of the popular Minecraft video game are in the crosshairs of cybercriminals, who have loaded up Google Play with scam apps bent on fleecing players out of cash. According to researchers, the mobile apps for Android fool users into spending hundreds of dollars per month, by offering skins,...

What Is Fleeceware, and How Can You Protect Yourself?

Sneaky developers are charging big bucks for basic apps. Here's how to spot a scam in sheep's clothing...

Apple App Store Riddled With Money-Sucking Fleeceware Apps

Researchers are warning iPhone users of fleeceware apps after finding more than 30 examples of them on Apple’s App Store. Fleeceware is jargon for apps that trick users into paying excessive fees for basic applications and functionality that is available free elsewhere. Many of these fleeceware...

‘Fleeceware’ Apps Downloaded 600M Times from Google Play

Google has made a concerted effort in recent months to try to eliminate bad apps for its Android mobile platform on the Google Play store—something the company historically has battled. However, fleeceware apps—which trick users into paying excessive amounts of money for simple apps with...