Android Defender Platinum app will hold your phone ransom

A new Android malware app has recently been discovered. This latest is called Android Defender Platinum and while it sounds like a bad deal, there is one positive side in that it wasn’t available by way of the Google Play Store. Basically, that is just to say this app shouldn’t be much of a concern if you are only downloading apps from the Play Store. If you happen to download apps from various untrusted third party sites however, you may need to pay attention.

This latest app was discovered by Symantec and was shown in scans as Android.fakedefender. Again, the app itself is called Android Defender Platform and it is actually a form of ransomware. Basically, this app will install and run and present false issues to scare the user. This user is then pushed to download a full version of the software in an effort to take care of those issues.

In this case the ransom to free your phone is about $100. Well, technically that ransom starts at $129 and is quickly offered at a discount of $89. Those moving forward with the $89 price can then add-on premium support for an extra $10. Of course, the key here is that whichever level you choose to buy at — you are not getting anything other than the freeing of your phone.

This particular app mirrors what a true anti-virus app should do, but in reality, those issues the app is reporting may not actually be issues. In fact, your phone was most likely perfectly fine before you installed this particular app. Anyway, assuming you choose not to pay your phone will still report issues and maybe even crash from time to time. There are options to clean things up, but they are generally not as simple as a quick uninstall.

We cannot really say Android malware is a big issue at this point in time, but there are some issues that popup from time to time. Many of these issues appear outside of the Play Store and will only be grabbed by those installing an APK file from a less than reputable site. Then again, as we saw earlier today, some can make their way into the official store and fool thousands.

Bottom line here, it seems like now may be as good a time as any to start thinking before you install and at the very least, make sure you download and install a reputable antivirus app from the Play Store. Not only do you have some from Symantec, but also some from AVG, Avast and Lookout.

VIA: Geek

SOURCE: Symantec