We all rely on PortugalApple and Google to keep malicious software out of its app stores, but the vetting system Google uses for Android apps is in desperate need of review. 17 vetted and popular apps have been hiding their presence on devices and showing aggressive ads to users.
The apps in question are listed below and in total have been downloaded over 550,000 times:
Car Racing 2019
4K Wallpaper (Background 4K Full HD)
Backgrounds 4K HD
QR Code Reader & Barcode Scanner Pro
File Manager Pro - Manager SD Card/Explorer
VMOWO City: Speed Racing 3D
Barcode Scanner
Screen Stream Mirroring
QR Code - Scan & Read a Barcode
Period Tracker - Cycle Ovulation Women's
QR & Barcode Scan Reader
Wallpapers 4K, Backgrounds HD
Transfer Data Smart
Explorer File Manager
Today Weather Radar
Mobnet.io: Big Fish Frenzy
Clock LED
As Bitdefender reports, none of the apps are classed as malware, but the best way to summarize what they are doing is as "riskware."
Each app uses a number of techniques to bypass Google's vetting system to ensure they make it on to the Play Store. These techniques include, "waiting 48 hours before hiding their presence on the device, splitting the app's code into multiple resource files, and holding off displaying ads until 4 hours after app installation."
Ads are then displayed regularly, but randomly, so it's very hard to spot a pattern. A job scheduling system is used to decide when to potentially show a new ad. This can be triggered when a user is in the app and pressing buttons, or outside the app when, for example, the device is unlocked.
Tricking Google into thinking the apps aren't malicious seems to be an exercise in presenting themselves as "average." The right files form part of the apps and the long delay before ads are shown combined with the randomness of them being triggered seems to be enough to fool the vetting system. Some reviews from users have flagged these apps as adware, but they remained live on the Play Store regardless.
Bitdefender has reported all 17 apps to Google and they are being removed from the store.
Topics Android
Reality Distortion Field: 10 Things Apple Won't Directly Say But We'll Infer About the iPhone X
The Library of Congress and the Art of the Courtroom Sketch
Who Is Professor Bhaer, Really? Part 4 of 5
The Library of Congress and the Art of the Courtroom Sketch
How to Reboot and Reset Android Devices
Adventures at the Ninety
The Strange, Working Romance of Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou
Our New Spring Issue: Interviews with Luc Sante, Robert Caro
Best rope light deal: Save 25% on Lepro N1 AI Smart RGB LED Strip Lights
In France, Rereading Old Diaries
The Baffler’s May Day Round Up
When Houdini Hired Lovecraft to Write for Him
That Time I Went to the Russian Cat Circus
What If Technology Actually Helped Writers?
NYT mini crossword answers for May 9, 2025
Join Our Editor, Lorin Stein, for Two Events in Paris
Staff Picks: Spike Lee, Gerald Murnane, Robin Wasserman
William Horton, the Forgotten Artist Championed by Yeats
5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
Rumphius Among the Lupines, and Other News
Clinton's doctor says she's 'healthy and fit to serve'Compassionate kid donates piggy bank money to mom's charity fundraiserAmazon sent 1,000 audio recordings of an Alexa user to the wrong guyMelania Trump shares legal letter on immigration status on TwitterFacebook is reportedly working on its own cryptocurrencyCompassionate kid donates piggy bank money to mom's charity fundraiserApp Store glitch causes millions of ratings to disappear from apps like InstagramApple's 2018 transparency report shows a rise in requests for dataCompassionate kid donates piggy bank money to mom's charity fundraiserIs Blind still safe for Silicon Valley secrets?Don't fret if your new iPad Pro arrives slightly bent, Apple saysRemember that dataMum makes heartbreaking plea in video about her son's deathA new iPad mini is reportedly on its wayFacebook removes hundreds more pages linked to the Myanmar militaryAmazon sent 1,000 audio recordings of an Alexa user to the wrong guyDriverless vehicle trial to focus on a pesky problem: KangaroosHerman the cat looks worried, but we promise he's okayElon Musk gives Tesla cars the ability to fart in new update13 activists who gave us hope in 2018 President Trump admits his executive order is a ban and somewhere, his lawyers are crying Look at how these journalists have aged since they started covering Trump Boston Dynamics' robot dog Spot is for now sale Anarchist pigeon DGAF about human signage The rise of 'Animal Crossing': Game changer or just another quarantine quirk? Dog stuck inside tree is the living definition of 'oops' The best way to learn a language: Tips and apps to get you fluent 'Dads' Review: Apple TV+ documentary doesn't offer anything original Facebook faces boycott push from NAACP, ADL, and other civil rights groups The 'blood boy' doctor doesn't seeeeeeem like a vampire Arizona fires seen fuming from space Jeremy Corbyn can't resist a delicious Pringle while greeting his supporters Surprise, no one wants to be Ted Cruz's Secret Santa Hillary Clinton drops 'covfefe' burn on Twitter, but people are kinda over it already Americans don't trust social media companies to handle misinformation How to find and support Black Universal basic income experiments are popping up all over Europe HBO makes 'Random Acts of Flyness' sketch show free on YouTube What is Juneteenth and how to take action on Freedom Day How to be cool on Instagram and Snapchat, according to teens
1.6142s , 10108.421875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Portugal】,Exquisite Information Network