Active Minecraft modding apps on Google Play are fleecing subscribers through hefty payment models, researchers have warned.
Malicious mobile apps can come in many forms. Some iOS or Android apps may have Trojan code embedded and waiting to steal your online credentials; others are considered spyware as they can monitor calls, message logs, GPS data, and online activity; whereas nuisanceware plagues users with pop-up ads designed to generate fraudulent revenue for operators.
Fleeceware can be classified under the same umbrella. While not necessarily dangerous, fleeceware apps can still deprive unwitting users of their hard-earned cash by providing poor goods or services through extortionate, automatic subscriptions.
Gaming is a popular arena for fleeceware as add-on skins, wallpapers, virtual items, and mods may be highly sought by dedicated users. Some games -- such as Fortnite -- offer digital bolt-ons through in-game currency and features, and third-party developers may also try to capitalize on a game's popularity to make an extra dollar or two.
Minecraft has been a hotbed of mods for years. Users of the popular game, developed by Mojang and snapped up by Microsoft in 2014 for $2.5 billion, are now being targeted through a wave of fleeceware apps that have made their way onto the Google Play Store.
See also: New 'Ghimob' malware can spy on 153 Android mobile applications
While subscription-based apps and services are generally acceptable and legitimate, the Minecraft-related fleeceware apps found by the researchers go beyond what many would consider a reasonable offering.
This is how they work: f ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
