Detected 172 fake Android apps used to mine coins

172 paid fake Android apps, split into 2 separate branches called BitScam (83,800 installs) and CloudScam (9,600 installs), advertised by scammers as offering cloud mining services. .

25 of these fake apps have appeared on the Google Play Store. Other apps sold on third-party app stores are available on the victim's Android phone.

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On July 7, researchers from the cybersecurity company Lookout said that the applications do not have any cloud mining functionality. Instead, scammers have made a fortune by selling fake apps that don't provide the services they advertise.

They used fake Android apps to steal more than $350,000 from tens of thousands of victims worldwide. Victims spend money to buy apps and pay for additional services and virtual upgrades.

'These apps are not malicious. They were created solely to attract people caught up in the crypto craze and scammers profiting from services that don't exist," said Ioannis Gasparis, Lookout's mobile app security expert. .

The scammer promises additional and enhanced services that make the victim pour a lot of money into the fake app. That money is transferred directly to the e-wallets of the scammers or through the Play Store.

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"Both CloudScam and BitScam offer subscriptions and crypto-mining-related services that users can pay for through Google Play's in-app billing system. What sets BitScam apart is that its apps accept payments in Bitcoin and Ethereum," Lookout explained.

Although Google has removed all fake BitScam and CloudScam mining apps found on the Play Store, Lookout says dozens of them are still sold on third-party web sites.

List of all BitScam and CloudScam apps, system attack traces (IOC) extractions, additional technical details, and download information for each app on the Play Store as reported by Lookout detail.

Lesley Montoya

Update 08 July 2021