All you need to know about the new threat "Fleeceware" and how to protect yourself!

SophosLabs, a cybersecurity firm has discovered a range of apps on Google Play Store and Apple's iOS App Store whose sole purpose is to charge huge subscriptions and other fees to clients for the features and services they could avail for free.These apps though tricks the user they however neither steal your data nor do they run any malicious code hence fundamentally they are not malwares. Sophos calls them fleecewear, malicious apps hiding in sheep's clothing. "Because these apps exist in a categorical grey area that isn’t overtly malware, and isn’t a potentially unwanted app (PUA), we’ve coined the term fleeceware, because their defining characteristic is that they overcharge users for functionality that’s widely available in free or low-cost apps." writes Sophos Labs.

They found 25 such Android apps on Google Play store in January and 30 apps on the iOS App Store that could be fleeceware.

 "In our capitalistic society, you can look at fleeceware apps and say if somebody wants to waste $500 per year on a flashlight app that’s up to them," says John Shier, Sophos senior security adviser. "But it’s just the exorbitant price that you’re being charged, and it's not done aboveboard. That, to me, is not ethical." 

You have to be careful while paying for in-app purchases and especially subscription. These apps will offer a trial period but will demand payment the first time you open the app. Or they could ask high payment for simple basic features like photo filter for 9$ per week or 30$ per month.

Fleeceware apps exploit the marketing model of play store and App Store, finding loopholes to charge their skyrocketing prices. But Google is ti ..

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