No matter your thoughts on pornography, most level-headed adults will agree that it should never be targeted at kids. Unfortunately, new malware code is used in some games on the Google Play Store, most of them aimed at kids. The code shows porn ads - among other things - and has forced Google to remove 60 games to counteract the incursion.
The threat has been dubbed Adult Swine and can affect the software in various ways. It can display inappropriate ads from the web, such as those from porn sites, trick users into installing fake apps that supposedly boost security, or force users to register for premium services that they don"t want.
Security firm Check Point found the code and explains how the ad issue works:
First, the malicious code contacts its Command and Control server (C&C) to report the successful installation, sends data about the infected device and then receives the configurations, which determine its course of operation. These configurations instruct it on whether to hide its icon (to encumber removal), which ads to display, over which apps and on what terms. It is interesting to note that the server however forbids ads to be displayed over certain apps such as browsers and social networks, in order to avoid suspicion.
The malicious code then verifies certain conditions regarding the device’s status and checks which app is currently running on screen. Once all its terms are met, it begins to display the illegitimate ads outside of the app’s context. If it is embedded inside a web browser app the ads will be displayed inside that browser, if not they will be displayed inside a designated web view.
The site listed all the games affected by the code and also contacted Google, which in turn, removed the games from the Play Store.
“We’ve removed the apps from Play, disabled the developers’ accounts, and will continue to show strong warnings to anyone that has installed them," a Google spokesperson told The Financial Times. We appreciate Check Point’s work to help keep users safe.”
Google Play Protect is supposed to scan software for malicious code to protect customers, but as code gets more inventive, some slip through the cracks, forcing users to report them. Google has said that it is constantly updating Play Protect to scan for more sophisticated malware
Below is a list of the games that were removed and the range in number of downloads, as Google Play does not give exact numbers.
| App Name | Minimum Downloads | Maximum Downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Five Nights Survival Craft | 1,000,000 | 5,000,000 |
| Mcqueen Car Racing Game | 500,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Addon Pixelmon for MCPE | 500,000 | 1,000,000 |
| CoolCraft PE | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| Exploration Pro WorldCraft | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| Draw Kawaii | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| San Andreas City Craft | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| Subway Banana Run Surf | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| Exploration Lite : Wintercraft | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| Addon GTA for Minecraft PE | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| Addon Sponge Bob for MCPE | 100,000 | 500,000 |
| Drawing Lessons Angry Birds | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Temple Crash Jungle Bandicoot | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Drawing Lessons Lego Star Wars | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Drawing Lessons Chibi | 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Girls Exploration Lite | 10,000 | 50,000 |
| Drawing Lessons Subway Surfers | 10,000 | 50,000 |
| Paw Puppy Run Subway Surf | 10,000 | 50,000 |
| Flash Slither Skin IO | 10,000 | 50,000 |
| Invisible Slither Skin IO | 10,000 | 50,000 |
| Drawing Lessons Lego Ninjago | 10,000 | 50,000 |
| Drawing Lessons Lego Chima | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| Temple Bandicoot Jungle Run | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| Blockcraft 3D | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| Jungle Survival Craft 1.0 | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| Easy Draw Octonauts | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| halloweenskinsforminecraft | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| skinsyoutubersmineworld | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| youtubersskins | 1,000 | 5,000 |
| DiadelosMuertos | 500 | 1,000 |
| Draw X-Men | 500 | 1,000 |
| Moviesskinsforminecraft | 500 | 1,000 |
| Virtual Family – Baby Craft | 500 | 1,000 |
| Mine Craft Slither Skin IO | 500 | 1,000 |
| Guide Clash IO | 100 | 500 |
| Invisible Skin for Slither IO app | 100 | 500 |
| Zombie Island Craft Survival | 100 | 500 |
| HalloweenMakeUp | 100 | 500 |
| ThanksgivingDay | 100 | 500 |
| ThanksgivingDay2 | 100 | 500 |
| Jurassic Survival Craft Game | 100 | 500 |
| Players Unknown Battle Ground | 100 | 500 |
| Subway Bendy Ink Machine Game | 100 | 500 |
| Shin Hero Boy Adventure Game | 100 | 500 |
| Temple Runner Castle Rush | 100 | 500 |
| Dragon Shell for Super Slither | 100 | 500 |
| Flash Skin for Slither IO app | 50 | 100 |
| AnimePictures | 50 | 100 |
| Pixel Survival – Zombie Apocalypse | 50 | 100 |
| Fire Skin for Slither IO app | 10 | 50 |
| San Andreas Gangster Crime | 10 | 50 |
| fidgetspinnerforminecraft | 10 | 50 |
| Stickman Fighter 2018 | 10 | 50 |
| Subway Run Surf | 10 | 50 |
| Guide Vikings Hunters | 10 | 50 |
| Woody Pecker | 10 | 50 |
| Pack of Super Skins for Slither | 10 | 50 |
| Spinner Toy for Slither | 10 | 50 |
| How to Draw Coco and The Land of the Dead | 10 | 50 |
| How to Draw Dangerous Snakes and Lizards Species | 1 | 5 |
| How to Draw Real Monster Trucks and Cars | 1 | 5 |
| How to Draw Animal World of The Nut Job 2 | 1 | 5 |
| How to Draw Batman Legends in Lego Style | 1 | 5 |
Users of some of the more popular games had already flocked to the games" product pages to give negative reviews, including warnings not to download the games for your kids.
You can look at the full Check Point report on the code to get more details.
Source: Check Point via The Financial Times | Image: Check Point