Security News > 2022 > July > Facebook ads push Android adware with 7 million installs on Google Play
Several adware apps promoted aggressively on Facebook as system cleaners and optimizers for Android devices are counting millions of installations on Google Play store.
To evade deletion, the apps hide on the victim's device by constantly changing icons and names, masquerading as Settings or the Play Store itself.
The adware apps abuse the Contact Provider Android component, which enables them to transfer data between the device and online services.
The subsystem is called every time a new app is installed, so the adware might be using it to initiate the ad-serving process.
As McAfee comments in the report, users are convinced to trust the adware apps because they see a Play Store link on Facebook, leaving little margin for doubt.
The adware apps are no longer available on the Play Store.
News URL
Related news
- Free VPN apps on Google Play turned Android phones into proxies (source)
- Apps secretly turning devices into proxy network nodes removed from Google Play (source)
- Google Warns: Android Zero-Day Flaws in Pixel Phones Exploited by Forensic Companies (source)
- Google rolls out new Find My Device network to Android devices (source)