The Google Play Store features dozens of clones of the immensely popular game Minecraft. At first glance, these appear to be legitimate games for your cell phone, but in reality they are games that install adware as soon as you launch the game. Worldwide, it is estimated that some 35 million Android users are walking around infected in this way.
The McAfee Mobile Research Team (1) discovered 38 Minecraft clones in the Play Store that secretly install adware. These include games such as Block Box Master Diamond and Craft Sword Mini Fun, which have more than 10 million and 5 million downloads to their credit, respectively.
Minecraft (2) is a game developed by Mojang Studios and released in late 2011. The goal is to collect building materials and build your own world, or survive as long as possible against creepers and other enemies, depending on which game mode you choose. Minecraft is one of the most popular games ever made: more than 240 million copies of the game have been sold since its launch. Some 140 million players are active every month.
So it should come as no surprise that game developers are trying to get a piece of this success. Over the years, hundreds of Minecraft adaptations have appeared. It looks like you are playing the original, but in reality it is a recreated version where the gameplay is virtually the same. As a result, there are untold numbers of (mobile) games that follow the same concept as Minecraft.
Cybercriminals know how popular Minecraft is and are trying to take advantage of it. Researchers from the McAfee Mobile Research Team recently found 38 apps in the Google Play Store that pretended to be an adaptation of the original game. What the developers didn't tell them is that the app was equipped with HiddenAds.
HiddenAds is adware (3) that slyly sends ad packages to generate advertising revenue. Users mostly don't realize anything because they can just play the game they downloaded. In addition, no ads or pop-up windows appear on the screen. An increase in data traffic and battery consumption are indications that HiddenAds is active in the background.
Adware is usually harmless. It mostly causes your device's performance to drop drastically. Especially if your phone is older, you will notice this. But at worst, malware can create security problems that expose users to worse infections. On more than one occasion in the past, ads have been shown to be used to spread viruses (4) and other malware.
McAfee security researchers suspect some 35 million Android users worldwide are walking around infected with HiddenAds. Most of the victims are from the United States, Canada, South Korea and Brazil.
The investigation team reported its findings to Google. The American tech company took immediate action and immediately removed all games from the Play Store. McAfee recommends that gamers read reviews before downloading a game. We recommend installing an antivirus program (5) and adblocker (6) to avoid installing adware, or unwanted ad windows appearing on screen.
mcafee.com/blogs/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/hiddenads-spread-via-android-gaming-apps-on-google-play/
https://www.vpngids.nl/veilig-internet/kind-en-jeugd/is-minecraft-veilig-voor-kinderen/
https://www.vpngids.nl/veilig-internet/malware/wat-is-adware/
https://www.vpngids.nl/veilig-internet/malware/wat-is-een-computervirus/
https://www.vpngids.nl/antivirus/antivirus-tests/
https://www.vpngids.nl/veilig-internet/surfen/alles-over-adblockers/
