Malicious Pokemon Go apps invades Google Play Store

Pokemon Go is an addictive app released recently, which make use of Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality of the smartphone coupled with Google Maps. However, few untrusted app developers have started to load Google Play Store with malicious Pokemon apps under different names.

The game places virtual creatures in the real-world location, which you have to capture using your smartphone camera. If you are able to view the creature from within the camera of the device, you will be able to capture it.

According to a reputed security company ESET, a new gaming app named Pokemon Go Ultimate, which is touted to be the first lock screen app has established the presence in the play store. However, if you attempt to install the app, it will be recognized as PI Network on the smartphone.

Moreover, your smartphone will be completely frozen and you need to restart the device by removing the battery. Even if you reboot the device, the PI Network app will continue to run in the background and also generates fake ad clicks. In the meantime, ESET also spotted several another malicious app namely Pokemon Go, Guide & Cheats for Pokemon Go.

According to industry analysts, the growth of malicious tricks surrounding the augmented-reality game highlights the serious security risk posed by Android platform. Even though Google Play Store has removed all the various listed by ESET, you can still find variations of Pokemon such as Pokemon Shuffle Mobile, Wikia: Pokemon.

Read More: Pokemon Go Tips and Tricks: How to find Pokemon and level up faster

Out of curiosity, we also managed to install Pokemon Go even though the app is not publicly available. We manually download the APK file from an external source and installed it by bypassing all warnings.

While we are able to play the game in Redmi Note despite GPS signal not found the error message, we could not play the game in Le 1s Eco due to the error. However, the performance of the game was sluggish even though we managed to catch one Pokemon.

Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store in the US, Japan, and Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Britain and Germany, the Pokemon Go game had created a huge buzz among gamers in India. The company will launch the game in India, Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia within the next few days.

Reporter at Technology News Extra.

1 comment

Beware: Robbers are using Pokémon Go to lure victims says:

[…] Pokémon Go has already reached the top of charts of both the iOS and Android platforms, and it has been around for just about a month. The game has endeared itself to the grownups and kids. It has seen people and children walk around parks, malls and other locations searching for Pokémon to capture them. This lacuna is being exploited by robbers to lure people to isolated spots and then rob them. […]

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