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The accounts are powering games, wallpapers and other applications designed to implement adware scams towards iOS and Android users, Avast says.
Image: iStock / CarmenMurillo
Malicious mobile apps can pose a problem for any smartphone owner. These applications often masquerade as legitimate programs in an attempt to catch unsuspecting downloaders with malware, adware, and other threats. Unauthorized TikTok accounts are promoting a new series of malicious apps designed for iOS and Android as a way to gain a wide audience.
SEE: Cybersecurity: Let’s Get Tactical (Free PDF) (TechRepublic)
In a blog posted Tuesday, security provider Avast explained how these malicious scam apps work.
The apps are aimed at young people posing as games, wallpapers, and music downloaders. To scam unsuspecting users, apps will in some cases charge $ 2 or $ 10, apparently for a service not worth that much money.
In other cases, the applications act like HiddenAds Trojans, which are programs that appear to be legitimate but exist only to serve ads outside of the application. These HiddenAd Trojans also come with timers that hide them at different times, making it difficult to find the source of the ads.
Upon further investigation, Avast found at least three TikTok profiles aggressively pushing the apps, one of which has more than 300,000 followers. An Instagram profile with more than 5,000 followers was also discovered in its effort to promote the apps.
Among the seven different such apps available on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, Avast found that they have been downloaded more than 2.4 million times and reportedly beat its cybercriminal developers around 500,000. Dollars.
The initial scam app was reported to Avast by a 12-year-old girl in the Czech Republic who thought she was suspicious, according to the company. The girl had participated in Avast’s Be Safe Online project, which teaches young people in the Czech Republic about online safety and shows them how to report a scam to the company.
The seven malicious apps identified by Avast are: 1) ThemeZone – Shawky App Free – Shock My Friends, 2) Tap Roulette ++ Shock my Friend, 3) Ulimate Music Downloader – Free Music Download, 4) Shock My Friends – Satuna, 5) 666 Time, 6) ThemeZone – Live Wallpapers, and 7) shock my friend tap roulette v. Since then, all apps have been removed with the exception of Tap Roulette ++ Shock my Friend, which is still available on Google Play.
The accounts used to promote the applications are: 1) 7odestar (Tik Tok), 2) Dejavuuu.es3 (Tik Tok), 3) Marina90lazina (Tik Tok) and 4) Shockmyfriends.app (Instagram). All three Tik Tok accounts have been removed, but the Instagram account is still active.
Avast said it reported the malware to Apple and Google and the accounts promoting them on TikTok and Instagram.
“The apps we discovered are scams and violate Google and Apple app policies, either by making misleading claims about the app’s functionalities or by posting ads outside of the app and hiding the original app’s icon shortly after installing it.” Jakub Vávra, a threat analyst at Avast, said in a press release. “Of particular concern is that apps are being promoted on social media platforms popular with younger children, who may not recognize some of the red flags surrounding apps and may therefore fall in love with them.”
To help smartphone users avoid malicious rogue apps, Avast offers the following tips:
Pay attention to the reviews. Sometimes other users will have identified the problem in a rogue application before you even get there. When that happens, they are likely to leave a negative review. Quickly scan reviews and see what other people have to say before downloading.
Beware of low downloads and positive reviews. In some cases, malware developers have more apps but few downloads or reviews. However, the small number of reviews are overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic, a sign of something fishy, according to Vávra.
Be critical of price points. Before paying for an app, ask yourself exactly why you are paying. A price that is out of line with the actual product being delivered is a good sign that the app is a scam. Apps posing as simple programs, like games and wallpapers, can be priced at around $ 8, an unrealistic amount considering similar legitimate apps are often free, according to Vávra.
Check permissions. Applications need various permissions to offer whatever service they promise. For example, Google Maps needs your location, as this is how it can tell you where to go. But one of the ways criminals gain access to devices is by requesting permissions they don’t need. The next time a new app asks for certain permissions, take a minute to think about whether or not you really need that access.
“The Android application ‘ThemeZone – Shawky App’ requests access to a device’s external storage, which can include photos, videos and files, depending on how the storage is used,” Vávra said. “Access to external storage is not mandatory for a wallpaper app.”
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