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Authored by Oliver Devane and Vallabh Chole
Notifications on Chrome and Edge, both desktop browsers, are commonplace, and malicious actors are increasingly abusing this feature. McAfee previously blogged about how to change desktop browser settings to stop malicious notifications. This blog focuses on Chrome notifications on Android mobile devices such as phones and tablets, and how McAfee Mobile Security protects users from malicious sites leveraging these notifications.
Most users are unaware of the source of these notifications. Permission is granted when a user clicks ‘Allow’ on a prompt within Android Chrome.
Many malicious websites use language and images like the one above that entice the user to click ‘Allow’ such as ‘Just one more step! Click “Allow” to continue. Once allow is clicked, the website is added to a site permissions list, which will enable it to send notifications.
The notifications will look like a usual Android notification which you will be used to seeing such as you have a new WhatsApp message or email. To identify the source of the notification, we need to look for the application name which is like the one highlighted in the red box below.
The image above shows the notification came from Chrome and it is from the website premiumbros[.]com. This is something you should pay attention to as it will be needed when you want to stop annoying notifications.
Some notifications like the ones in this blog are malicious as they attempt to trick users into believing that their mobile device is infected with a virus and some action is required. When the users click the notification, Chrome will load a website which will present them with a fake warning like the example below:
Clicking either Cancel or Update Now on the above website will result in the same behavior. The browser will redirect the user to a google play store app so that they can download and install it.
The malicious websites will flood your phone with several notifications. The screenshot below shows an example of this:
You may ask yourself, why do malicious actors try to get me to install a google play application? The people behind these scams receive a commission when these applications are installed on devices. They rely on deceptive tactics to trick users into installing them to maximize profits.
To remove a website’s notification permission, you need to change a Chrome setting.
1- Find out the name of the website which is sending these notifications. This can be done by looking at the notification and noting down the name of the website. If we use this blog as an example, it would be premiumbros[.]com
2- Open the Chrome browser app which can be found by performing the following search:
3- Click the three … on the top right hand of the application
4- Scroll down and click on settings
5- Click on Notifications
6- Scroll down until you find the website which you identified in step 1
7- Pres the blue radio button so it turns grey
8- Notifications will now be disabled for that website. If you want to block multiple websites, click the radio button for them as well.
McAfee customers who have McAfee Mobile Security are protected against these malicious websites as long as they enable the ‘Safe Browsing’ feature within the application.
Upon trying to access a malicious website such as the one in the blog it will be blocked as shown in the image below:
Please read this guide on enabling the Safe Browsing feature within the Mobile Security Application.
The post Why Am I Getting All These Notifications on my Phone? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Google’s Android operating system has been a boon for the average consumer. No other operating system has given so much freedom to developers and hardware manufacturers to make quality devices at reasonable prices. The number of Android phones in the world is astounding. That success comes with a price, however.
A recent report from our own McAfee Mobile Research team has found malicious apps with hundreds of thousands of downloads in the Google Play store. This round of apps poses as simple wallpaper, camera filters, and picture editing, but they hide their nature till after they’ve been installed on your device.
Figure 1. Infected Apps on Google Play
On the bright side, Google Play performs a review for every app to ensure that they are legitimate, safe, and don’t contain malware before they’re allowed on the Play store. However, enterprising criminals regularly find ways to sneak malware past Google’s security checks.
Figure 2. Negative reviews on Google Play
When developers upload their apps to the Play store for approval, they have to send supporting documents that tell Google what the app is, what it does and what age group it’s intended for. By sending Google a “clean” version of their app, attackers can later get their malicious code into the store via a future update where it sits and waits for someone to download it. Once installed, the app contacts a remote server, controlled by the attackers, so it can download new parts of the app that Google has never seen. You can think of it as a malware add-on pack that installs itself on your device without you realizing it. By contacting their own server for the malware files, attackers sneak around Google security checks and can put anything they want on your device.
The current round of malware we’re seeing hijack your SMS messages so they can make purchases through your device, without your knowledge. Through a combination of hidden functionality and abuse of permissions like the ability to read notifications, that simple looking wallpaper app can send subscription requests and confirm them as if it were you. These apps will regularly run up large bills through purchasing subscriptions to premium rate services. The more troubling part is how they can read any message that you receive, possibly exposing your personal information to attackers.
To start, a comprehensive and cross-platform solution like McAfee Total Protection can help detect threats like malware and alerts you if your devices have been infected. I’d also like to share some tips our Research team has shared with me.
Before you hit that install button, take a good look at an app’s reviews. Do they look like they were written by real people? Do the account names of the reviewers make sense? Are people leaving real feedback, or are the majority of comments things like, “Works great. Loved it.” with no other information?
Scammers can easily generate fake reviews for an app to make it look like people are engaging with the developers. Look out for vague reviews that don’t mention the app or what it does, nothing but five-star reviews, and generic sounding account names like, “girl345834”. They’re probably bots, so be wary.
Search for the app developers’ company and see if they have a website. Having a website doesn’t guarantee an app is legitimate, but it’s another good indicator of how trustworthy a company’s app is. Through their website, you should be able to find out where their team is based, or at least some personal information about the company. If they’re hiding that information, or there’s no site at all, that might be a good sign to try a different app.
A lot of malicious apps offer features that your phone already provides, like a flashlight or photo viewer. Unless there’s a very specific reason why you need a separate app to do something your device already does, it’s not recommended to use a third-party app. Especially if it’s free.
App permissions must be clearly stated on the app’s page in order to get into the Google Play store. They’re found near the bottom of the page, along with developer information. Check the permissions every app asks for before you install it and ask yourself if they make sense. For example, a photo editor doesn’t need access to your contacts list, and wallpapers don’t need to have access to your location data. If the permissions don’t make sense for the type of app, steer clear.
Mobile devices are vulnerable to malware and viruses, just like your computer. By installing McAfee protection to your mobile device, you can secure your mobile data, protect your privacy, and even find lost devices.
Android is one of the most popular operating systems on the planet, which means the rewards for creating malware for Android devices are well worth it. It’s unlikely that Android malware is going away any time soon, so staying safe means being cautious with the things you install on your devices.
You can protect yourself by installing McAfee Total Protection on your mobile device and reading the permissions apps ask for when you install them. There’s no good reason for a wallpaper app to have SMS permissions, but that request should ring some alarm bells that something isn’t right and stop you from installing it.
The post Fraudulent Apps that Automatically Charge you Money Spotted in Google Play appeared first on McAfee Blogs.
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