Google removes malicious apps that ran fraud under the guise of offering freebies from Play Store

In an action against several malicious android phone applications, Google Play Store has removed them from its platform. The applications in question were those that offered freebies to the users ranging from a pair of shoes, sneakers to tickets for various activities. The applications also maliciously installed botnets on the users device without the user being aware of it. The discovery of the botnet was flagged by the White Ops’ Satori, a team of professionals working on mobile security. Named “Terracotta”, the botnet had been under the radar of the Satori team since late 2019 and the team had been doing research on the botnet.

The modus operandi of such apps mostly remained common which involved enticing the users in return of freebies and then installing botnets secretly on the device. Users were lured with free services and gifts which ranged from a pair of shoes, some electronic gadget to even free dental and doctor appointments and movie tickets. Once the user had shown interest in getting the freebies, the users were asked to not uninstall the app till 2-3 weeks after which their gifts would be dispatched.