{"id":85146,"date":"2017-11-14T16:38:51","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T11:08:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs_admin.quickheal.com\/?p=85146"},"modified":"2017-11-14T18:00:29","modified_gmt":"2017-11-14T12:30:29","slug":"fake-apps-new-emerging-trend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickheal.com\/blogs\/fake-apps-new-emerging-trend\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake Apps – a new emerging trend!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently we had blogged about a fake WhatsApp app<\/a> on Google Play. And soon after we started observing more fake apps getting hosted on Google Play. Interestingly, these fake apps were having good ratings and download count which clearly suggest the growing trend of fake apps in the Android world. These fake apps look like their official counterparts but they have some malicious intent. They might steal user data, display unwanted ads, push down the ratings or downloads of popular apps. These fake apps basically piggyback the popularity of genuine apps to fool users. This post discusses two fake apps observed by Quick Heal Security Labs.<\/p>\n

Pandora Plus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Package name: net.pandoplus.android<\/strong><\/p>\n

MD5: 7da97bf129b0f241cf59aaa29ce762fb<\/strong><\/p>\n

Size: 3.3 MB<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pandora is a famous app for listening to online songs and is available for Android and iPhone devices. Below is a screenshot of a fake Pandora app that recently emerged on Google Play.<\/p>\n

\"Fig
Fig 1: Fake Pandora app, its rating and downloading count<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fake Pandora app is named as \u2018Pandora plus\u2019. After installation, it asks the user to register and provides customizable music options which the user wishes to listen. If the user taps on the \u2018Next\u2019 button, they get redirected to a webpage where the user has to rate 5 stars to get a pin code which is required to start the music app.<\/p>\n

\"Fig
Fig 2: Fake Pandora app redirecting user to a rating page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But, even if the user gives 5 stars, the whole process is repeated in a loop and the user never receives the pin code.<\/p>\n

So, the aim of the fake app\u2019s developer was to get a high rating as well as the download count through this app.<\/p>\n

\"Fig
Fig 3: Reviews by app users<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The fake Pandora app\u2019s rating is 4.8 which is more than that of the original app. It has been removed from Google Play.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The fake app \u2018Pandora plus\u2019 was reported to Google Play for removal by Quick Heal Security Labs.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quick Heal detection<\/strong><\/p>\n