So - called pirating apps have been around for years — and they have onlygained popularitysince covid-19 put us all indefinitely on the sofa , speech sound in mitt , expect a reason ( that never comes ) to stop stream .
Well , not all pirating apps have your content - viewing interests in mind . insert “ FlixOnline . ” Until lately , this app sat in Google ’s swordplay Store , promising user the opportunity to win free mobile access to Netflix from anywhere in the public , even if they did n’t have an account . sound too good to be true , right ?
Yes , well , exactly .
Photo: OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP (Getty Images)
FlixOnline , recently profile by surety firmCheck Point Research , never actually allow users binge get out Bad or whatever . or else , the research worker say , it delivered a ego - replicating louse onto their devices — the the like of which could potentially be used by hackers in phishing and data - theft operations .
“ 2 Months of Netflix Premium Free at no cost For understanding OF QUARANTINE ( CORONA VIRUS ) * VIRUS ) * Get 2 Months of Netflix Premium Free anywhere in the world for 60 days . Get it now HERE ” [ insert malicious liaison ] .
If your friend , lost in a at sea fog — stupefy by the fact that their pal of many years has transformed , overnight , into a robotic Netflix shill — happen to tick on the link allow for , they get directed to a website where they can download the app , and the malware double itself anew . researcher say the site could easily serve as a manner for hackers to slip a dupe ’s personal information . In truth , it ’s hard to imagine most people being , let ’s say , fleeceable enough to conform to that last footmark , but then again , “ 123456″remainsa democratic password .
So , voila ! A morality lesson about the ailment of plagiarism , pack into a very , very stupefied app — an app that does literally nothing except hijack your conversation with friend and loved ones to re - spawn its own daft , useless existence .
Perhaps the worst thing here is that Flix sit down in the drama Store for approximately two months , compromising about 500 devices , according to Check Point ( the app has since been taken down ) . It ’s another corking example of how Google has n’t always done an awesome job when it issue forth to weed out uncollectible apps being distributed on its platform .
“ The fact that the malware was able to be disguised so well and ultimately bypass Play Store ’s protections raises some serious red flagstone , ” read Aviran Hazum , manager of nomadic news at Check Point . He added that , while this specific malware safari was halted , the same malware could be deployed again via a unlike fake app . So … be careful out there , my sea rover friends . Remember : There ’s no such thing as innocent cognitive content .
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