Czech antivirus company Avast discovered a new batch of dangerous applications for Android i iOS, which were specifically aimed at young people. Before being pulled from circulation, they had nearly 2,4 million downloads and earned their creators around $500.
The company discovered at least three profiles on popular youth app TikTok that were aggressively promoting fraudulent apps, with one of them having over 300 followers. She also discovered a profile on the popular Instagram social network advertising one of the applications, which had more than five thousand followers.
Some apps asked users for $2-$10 for a service that didn't match that price, including wallpapers or access to music, other apps overwhelmed users with aggressive advertising, and others were Trojan horses with hidden ads—apps that look genuine but actually exist just to "serve" ads outside of the app itself.
Specifically, the applications ThemeZone - Shawky App Free - Shock My Friends and Ultimate Music Downloader (Google Play) were removed from the Google and Apple stores at the initiative of Avast, and from the UK App Store Shock My Friends - Satuna, 666 Time, ThemeZone - Live Wallpapers and Shock my Friend Tap Roulette.
The Avast team was led to fraudulent applications by a 12-year-old Czech girl who participated in its project called Be Safe Online, which operates within the second grade of Czech primary schools and teaches pupils about internet safety and how to stand up for their rights in the digital world.
Avast is also questionable. free doesn't work after a few days and keeps shutting down. it's the same with avg. you will find out when you have a virus there