Based on the notice made by the ESET, Google has put out the malicious app on the App Store of Google. It has received more than 100,000 to 500,000 downloads during November 2016. Dissimilar to the traditional ransomware, downloaders, and other potential stuff, the app – known as F11 – didn’t include any dangerous code. In its place, it is based just on the social engineering, which tricks users into charging $19 for using Flash Player app of Adobe.
Yes, Adobe Flash Player on Android, that has been used for free but has been stopped to use in 2012, after strong criticism because of the protection issues.
How the malware works
As you download the app, it shows a tutorial along with the detailed guidelines on how you can get the Flash Player. After that, you are directed to pay $19 through PayPal for buying Adobe Flash Player.
The developers of the malware have gone through a long path for making it look like as a genuine business. For instance, the app which was considered as the educational app in the Google Play Store. But, the PayPal shows the genuine color of the process: the element in it is known as Flash Player 11.
The app is same as where the process works from the potential practice of offering users the highly priced and unwanted advice to purify the malware of vending an app in the absence of any authority to do it. Only Adobe itself which is the developer of the Flash Player and founder of the reservations can sell it.
After you pay the money, the scam again acts to offer “something” in the interchange of your money. With this here comes a link for installation of the Flash Player – user is asked for installing Dolphin Browser or Firefox first.
In the end, you end up to play the Flash stuff on your device. But, it is not actually what you have paid for. Also, both Dolphin and Firefox are free.
How to remain safe
The ESET Mobile Protection services sense the presence of malicious app F11 as FakeFlash.F. Avoid it to be get installed.
Beside from the advice to prevent the installation of the suspicious apps, specifically for this case, it should be noticed that it is the worst idea to install the Flash Player on any Android device. As due to its endless susceptibilities, Flash has been proved to be very compromising on the any device’s protection.