silversurfer
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- Aug 17, 2014
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Researchers have exposed a malicious cyber-operation involving fraudulent photo-editing apps, none of which were found to function as advertised.
New research published today by White Ops’ Satori threat intelligence team revealed 29 fraudulent apps to be part of a nefarious cyber-scheme that they have named Chartreuse Blur.
The apps, which have already been downloaded 3.5 million times from the Google Play Store, cause out-of-context (OOC) ads to run rampant on a compromised device and randomly open web browsers while the device is in use.
Researchers noted that any time a compromised device is unlocked, plugged into a charger, or even switches cellular networks, an OOC ad pops up on the home screen, whether the fraudulent app is open or not. [...]
One of the apps exposed by researchers, the Square Photo Blur app, has since been removed from the Google Play Store.