Your Smart Phone in danger! Apps contaminated by adware found in Android stores and Apple’s store

Adware is a big threat to each and every individual. In cybersecurity terms, adware is just a software that induces ads in the operating system. Adware is not a malicious software, instead it produces unnecessary ads on the computer or android devices. Some of the malware it added are Hidden Ads trojans, which disguise themselves as safe apps, but serve ads outside the app. Adware doesn't just put out ads but it starts affecting the user’s internal device and the software experience. It can also take a step further by being too invasive to the point of draining computing resources and bandwidth. However, resolving this issue isn’t a piece of cake, for that one needs to differentiate between malicious ad networks and legitimate ads. This is not a trivial task but rooting the device can successively detect the software.

Recently, there were seven scamware apps that were promoted on social media platforms popular among younger kids. It has been reported in both android app stores and iStore. This happened after a teenage girl found out that they were to be of adware where she noticed a suspicious ad in a TikTok profile. The more shocking news was that the hackers had received more than 500k dollars with a whopping 2.4 million user downloads. The great way that one can avoid being targeted from adware is by verifying the app and not clicking the links that are from unauthorized or third-party sites. It is also recommended to read the reviews of the ones which you download and especially look out for negative reviews.

"It's always better to do some research before allowing an app into the most personal digital space in your life", said Chloé Messdaghi, vice president of strategy at Point3 Security. Amidst this pandemic, as every transaction and documents are digitized, the space becomes more important to an individual rather than indulging in a cyberspace war.