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They do this by including an ad SDK to the code of the app.
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The majority of free apps on Google Play include some kind of in-app advertizing.
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Then all of sudden, after an update in December, Barcode Scanner had gone from an innocent scanner to full on malware! Although Google has already pulled this app, we predict from a cached Google Play webpage that the update occurred on December 4 th, 2020. Many of the patrons had the app installed on their mobile devices for long periods of time (one user had it installed for several years).
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Late last December we started getting a distress call from our forum patrons. Patrons were experiencing ads that were opening via their default browser out of nowhere. The odd part is none of them had recently installed any apps, and the apps they had installed came from the Google Play store. Then one patron, who goes by username Anon00, discovered that it was coming from a long-time installed app, Barcode Scanner. An app that has 10,000,000+ installs from Google Play! We quickly added the detection, and Google quickly removed the app from its store. Original blog, published February 5, 2021
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The redirect could have easily opened any number of clean Google Play apps. That does not mean that the app that is the endpoint of the redirect is itself malicious.
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Not to say that some of these redirects may try to download malware, but there is no evidence of that here. The malware authors are paid based on clicks from web redirects, not by infecting people with other malware. Next, clarification of Rocket Cleaner – System Optimizer. Within our short video, the web redirect ends with a Google Play webpage of Rocket Cleaner – System Optimizer. We would like to make it clear that Rocket Cleaner – System Optimizer is a clean, safe app found on Google Play.
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If the issue persists and Malwarebytes for Android does not detect, post up on our forums or submit a support ticket. Keep in mind that web redirects could also be browser related, and we suggest clearing your browser history and cache first and foremost. Your default browser opening, all by itself, to web redirects. If you are worried that you have this barcode scanner installed, here is the behavior you would experience on your mobile device. I cannot overstate that most barcode/QR scanners on Google Play are clean and safe to use.
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This was just one individual, isolated case of a barcode/QR scanner being exploited. Barcode/QR scanners have long been targets for exploitation due to the fact that just about everyone that uses an Android device installs a Barcode/QR scanner. For this reason, exploitation of barcode/QR scanners has occurred since the beginning of mobile malware. We overlooked that the generic nature of the name Barcode Scanner would trigger panic that your barcode scanner could be the one we were referring to. We’d like to take some time clearing other things up based on comments left here on the blog. We appreciate all the feedback from our patrons and we’d like to address some of the issues raised.įirst, to clarify, there are many, many clean, legitimate barcode/QR scanners on Google Play. Read the story here: Who is to blame for the malicious Barcode Scanner that got on Google Play? Clearing some other things up To get the full story on this saga, you can also read our full-length blog on our investigation into who owned this app and who is likely responsible for the malicious changes.
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