They just need to trick you to download an app, or may be a Porn app.
Yes, if you are one of those who can't resist watching porn then you could be an easy target for hackers who are distributing ransomware via malicious pornography app to run you out of your money.
A pornography application for Android called Adult Player that promises free pornographic videos has been caught taking photographs of users and then extorting them for ransom (Cyber Extortion).
Once installed, Adult Player gains administrator access to the victim's device, which then allows it to load malicious ransomware files.
When Hackers Turn to Blackmail: Demands $500 Ransom
When a user opens the app, Adult Player secretly takes photos of the user with the help of front-facing camera and then demands a $500 (£330) ransom in order to restore the device access and delete all photos stored on attackers server.
Before demanding ransom, the ransomware locks the victim's device to prevent access from regular use and displays a warning message until the payment is received through PayPal.
According to the researchers from the security firm Zscaler, which uncovered the creepy nature of Adult Player, the app isn't available on the official Google Play Store and is distributed through adult websites.
How to Get Rid of this Android Ransomware?
Adult Player takes complete control of your device using the administrator privileges that you grant the app before installing, therefore restarting your device won't cause the ransom page requesting $500 to disappear.
However, you can uninstall Adult Player by following these simple steps:
- Boot your device into "Safe Mode," as it boots your device with default settings without running any third-party applications and allowing users to delete malicious software.
- To uninstall the ransomware from your device, you need to first remove administrator privilege by going to Settings –> Security –> Device Administrator and then select ransomware app and deactivate it.
- Once this is done, you can again go to Settings –> Apps –> Uninstall ransomware app.
The bottom line:
To avoid falling a victim to malicious apps like Adult Player, Android users are again reminded:
- Don't install apps from outside of the Google Play Store
- Don't grant administrator privileges to apps unless you truly trust them
Read More:
- 'Tox' Offers Free build-your-own Ransomware Malware Toolkit
- Free Ransomware Decryption and Malware Removal ToolKit
