Read More: Cardless ATMs Will Make Hacking Much More Difficult

Why is This Attack Significant?

The most recent ad fraud attack was the largest ever reported, with 41 apps illegally downloading adware onto users’ phones. The apps had been downloaded nearly 36 million times, making this ad fraud attack the most successful malware attack in terms of installs ever recorded.

How Did This Ad Fraud Attack Work?

Once users downloaded the apps — most of which were games — the app would open web pages in the background of the app. Then, like bots, the program would click banners and Google ads from users’ phones. Why? The Korean software company that created the adware profited off of every click, likely raking in about $300,000 per month.

Why Didn’t Google Catch on to the Attack Sooner?

Since the adware was downloaded onto users’ systems only after the legal download of the app, Google’s Bouncer technology could not detect it. Like other types of adware, this hidden download after the legitimate download of the software makes it all the more difficult for the Google Play store to discover it.

As ad fraud attacks become more and more complex, be wary about the apps you’re choosing to download onto your phone. If you’re diligent about downloading and regularly running a Full Virus Scan, including scheduled scans, you’re more likely to be protected from ad fraud attacks, even as they get more and more refined.

Whenever you download a new app, be sure to scan your device for viruses after. This is especially important because of malware like Rootnik, where the number of infected apps is unknown. DFNDR’s Security Scan feature will monitor the various threats as you interact with different websites or attempt to install new applications. It’s able to protect you from threats by preventing them in the first place. It provides this protection to your device storage and your SD card so you’re always protected and never in danger. Click here to run a full virus scan on your device, and check your apps for Rootnik:

Rootnik works in a few different ways. The first thing it does after being installed is to exploit a few different Android vulnerabilities which will allow it to install and uninstall apps without users giving permission or being aware of what it’s doing. It will then install multiple new APK files in the system files. It will steal user information and Wi-Fi and location information, in addition to having the ability to download executable files from distant and remote servers. It can do all of this without you even being aware of it.

Your mobile device is convenient because it’s connected to everything — your private network, email, banking apps, social media, etc. — and contains everything you need to have access to at a moment’s notice. The downside to this is, however, the fact that malicious websites and malware like Rootnik can also infect your device without your knowledge and steal all of this information to profit from it at your expense. It’s not a hopeless situation though; as long as you have a great security app, you can protect yourself from malware like Rootnik.

More malicious apps might be in the Play Store.

Although malicious apps get published in the Apple store, there are far more reports about malicious apps in the Play Store. This is usually because the screening process for apps is far shorter for the Play Store, in addition to the freedom that the Android operating system allows by default.

Google can usually remove these apps fairly quickly, but unfortunately, they’ve still had time to do a lot of damage. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you run a full virus scan on your device after you download a new app, to make sure that malicious software isn’t hidden in the app. Click here to run a full virus scan on your device now:

Since you have an Android device, variety and customization are probably important features to you. There’s more freedom with the Android operating system, which means that there’s a greater variety of apps available in the Play Store. There are apps that you can download from the Play Store that completely change the look of your device, and how you experience it. With the Apple store, these types of apps that allow you to fully customize your device simply don’t exist.

If you want to release your app, do so first on Google Play.

It’s no secret that the Google Play Store is a better place for new app developers than Apple’s app store. First of all, publishing an Android app through the Play Store is a much simpler process than publishing an iOS app through Apple’s app store. That means that it also takes a lot less time to get your app out into the world. For the Play Store, it could take as little as 24 hours to get your app on the site, but for the Apple store, it might take about a week at minimum. You also may get more immediate downloads of your app in the Play Store than in the Apple store.

However, the Apple store is known for generally having higher quality apps than the Play Store. This is largely due to Apple’s careful process of evaluating an app. This also means that there are fewer apps available in the Apple store than in the Play Store.

Why use third party app providers?

There are certainly some benefits to using browsers other than Google Play to shop for your apps. For instance, some of these third party providers offer promotions and have a free app of the day. Some of them also create lists that are tailored to your interests, so you can easily identify which apps you want to download. The stores also offer some applications that only cater to specific countries, so you wouldn’t see a lot of these apps in Google Play.

So what’s the problem?

While these search engines can offer more of a variety of apps, there are certainly some dangers to take into account before downloading some of the material. Specifically, Trend Micro did an independent security study and found over 1,150 Android apps with malware, all from four different third party search apps. They were called “Aptoide,” “Mobogenie,” “mobile9,” and “9apps.”

It is safer to peruse Google Play for your applications because the app takes the time to filter through the malware applications, and it only allows legitimate apps to show up on the browser. While this technology is not perfect and they sometimes allow bad apps in, it is certainly far safer than many of the other third party search applications out there that are plagued with dangerous malware.

Safe Alternative to Google Play

Sick of Google Play? There are a few third party app stores that have been deemed safe by several users. Specifically, Amazon offers a variety of apps, and offers promotions to some of its users. There are several Kindle books on sale, along with games that are not included in Google Play. While the selection is much smaller than Google Play’s, it still serves as a quality alternative.