Be careful with downloading porn apps
It’s enough to make you miss the days when your biggest security worry was a computer virus. Malware creators are getting ever more creative – and sinister – with apps designed to hold your device hostage until you pay up. “Ransomware” is just what it sound like: software that compels you to pay a ransom – or else.
The latest is an app that calls itself Adult Player and promises pornographic content for subscribers. After you install the app, instead of adult content, you get blackmailed. The app uses your camera phone to take a picture of you, then incapacitates your device by blocking all other apps and opening Adult Player automatically every time you boot up, rendering your device useless.
Along with the incriminating non-consensual “selfie,” the app displays and official looking ransom note claiming affiliations with the FBI and demanding $500 via PayPal, lest you be turned in for possession of child pornography.
This disturbing app represents a trend of increasingly wicked malware
Back in the day, viruses simply hacked your computer to try to rob you blind. Ransomware takes it to a high stakes place by threatening to incriminate you in illegal activities, which could seriously mess up your life.
The malware was exposed by cloud security company Zscaler, who posted a long blog post with information about how to use your smartphone securely. Most people are accustomed to good security practices for their computers, but tend to take security for granted on mobile devices, making mobile users particularly vulnerable to hacks and malware.
Maybe mobile porn apps are a bad idea
The basics of smartphone security seem obvious, but are worth reviewing. Don’t open strange apps from random third party providers. For Android, stick to the apps offered by the Google store, as these are reviewed by Google’s security team. Be especially wary of installing files that ask for lots of permissions, or apps that require you to install them in administrator mode.
Of course, you could always skip the apps altogether and use a good old fashioned search engine to find your smut.
