Sinister fake porn app secretly snaps photo to blackmail users for money
A sinister Android app pretends to be a porn app then secretly snaps photos of users to blackmail them for money, a U.S. security firm discovered.
Adult Player is a fake porn app that uses provocative images to convince users to download it. However, it only takes a photo of the user with the phone's front camera, locks down the device, and holds it for ransom, according to The Sun.
Once the phone is locked down, the sinister app flashes the snapped photo of the user and demands a payment of $500 (£330) to have the device unlocked. Zscaler, the security firm that discovered the app, explained that users could not remove the snapped photo even if the device was restarted. The lockdown also prevents the user from tweaking the settings of the phone and uninstalling the app.
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The malware threatens to expose the identity and other personal information of the user, or completely delete the content of the device if the ransom is not paid. The payment is supposed to be sent via PayPal on the smartphone, the International Business Times reports.
Luckily for victims of Adult Play, the app can be deactivated by booting the Android phone using "safe mode." This will make the device run using default settings without third-party apps. Once the safe mode is enabled, the user can now access the phone's settings and deactivate the administrator privilege on the fake porn app. Then, uninstalling the app should come next, the report details.
Adult Player is not an approved app by Google Play, and it could only be downloaded via a webpage. The app is able to take control of the unwitting user by asking for permission to have the phone locked down during the download process, the report explains.
Zscaler advises users not to download apps that trusted app stores do not recommend to avoid becoming the victim of ransomware. In a blog post, the security firm said users ought to change the security settings of the phone and uncheck the option for "Unknown Sources."
