Cyber attackers are once again focusing on Android devices in an attempt to deceive unsuspecting individuals into divulging their personal and financial details.
Users are advised to promptly uninstall apps that have been compromised by a new scam involving hackers conducting a complex form of advertising fraud. By inundating apps with malicious advertisements, hackers can hamper the performance of the compromised devices while benefiting financially.
The recent assault, named ‘SlopAds,’ was uncovered by the Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team. It was revealed that 224 Android apps were impacted by this attack, collectively downloaded over 38 million times from the Google Play Store.
Security experts from the team uncovered a sophisticated ad fraud and click fraud operation known as SlopAds, involving a network of 224 apps downloaded more than 38 million times globally. These apps employ steganography to deliver fraudulent ads, leading users to threat actor-owned cashout sites to generate fake ad impressions and clicks.
Google has successfully removed all problematic apps to prevent further users from falling prey to ad fraud. Individuals who may have downloaded apps containing the SlopsAds bug will receive alerts prompting them to delete the apps.
To protect against future threats, Android users are advised to keep Google’s Play Protect feature active in the app store. This feature warns users about potentially corrupted apps before installation and blocks apps exhibiting behavior associated with SlopAds.
Ad fraud not only impacts device users but also legitimate advertisers and developers as hackers deceive networks to display their infected ads. Google emphasized the harmful effects of ad fraud on the mobile Ads ecosystem, stressing the importance of safeguarding devices against such malicious activities.
Android users are urged to act swiftly by deleting any flagged apps to secure their devices against potential threats.