Some hackers have created fake versions of FaceApp with an adware inside that shows misleading advertisements. Here’s how to defend yourself
As if the heavy controversy that accompanied the massive spread of FaceApp in recent days wasn’t enough, resulting in an official defense published by the developer, now the app for editing photos of faces is at the center of another big problem: a fake FaceApp stuffed with viruses is running.
The alarm has been raised by Kaspersky, the company that produces the antivirus of the same name, which has already identified several fake versions of the Wireless Lab 000 app and many cases of infection that have already occurred. The first detection dates back to July 7, even before the Italian FaceApp boom. These fake versions, it should be noted, are not found in the Play Store or the App Store, but must be downloaded from unofficial sites. However, the problem is not to be underestimated because, according to Kasperky, the infection is running fast and hackers are working hard to make it spread even more.
How the fake FaceApp works/h4>
The fake FaceApp app is completely unusable and only serves to deliver an adware module, called MobiDash, which fills your phone with unwanted spam ads. As soon as it is installed, the fake FaceApp simulates a problem and is immediately removed from the smartphone. But it leaves the malicious module on the device that infects the phone.
500 infections, 800 modifications
Hackers, it seems, are riding on the FaceApp phenomenon so much that Kaspersky has counted as many as 500 infections in the last two days. Moreover, hackers are also diversifying the threat: Kaspersky has detected almost 800 modifications to the modules.
How to defend yourself from the FaceApp virus
The first thing to do to avoid being infected, of course, is not to install the fake app: if you really want to use FaceApp, download and install it only from the official Google and Apple stores. Having a good antivirus on board your smartphone, then, should shelter us from infection, because MobiDash (and its derivatives) is an adware already well known to antivirus. “The people behind MobiDash,” explains Igor Golovin, Security Researcher at Kaspersy, “often hide their adware modules behind known applications and services. This means that the activities of fake versions of FaceApp might intensify, considering that they have affected hundreds of users in just two days. We recommend users not to download applications from unofficial sources and install security solutions on their devices to avoid any damage.”