Cyber attackers are once again focusing on Android devices to deceive unsuspecting individuals into revealing their personal and financial details. Users are advised to uninstall compromised apps linked to a new scam promptly, as hackers engage in a sophisticated form of ad fraud. By inundating apps with harmful advertisements, hackers can slow down the compromised devices while benefiting financially.
The recent assault, named ‘SlopAds’, was identified by the Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team. They discovered that 224 Android apps were impacted by this attack, with over 38 million downloads from the Google Play Store.
According to security experts, the Satori team revealed that they have uncovered and disrupted a complex ad fraud and click fraud operation known as SlopAds. The individuals behind SlopAds manage a group of 224 apps, collectively downloaded more than 38 million times across 228 different regions.
Google has successfully removed all problematic apps to prevent new users from falling victim to ad fraud. Those who may have downloaded apps affected by the SlopsAds issue will receive notifications prompting them to delete the apps. To prevent future attacks, Android users are advised to keep Google’s Play Protect feature enabled to detect potentially corrupted apps and block any behavior associated with SlopAds.
Ad fraud not only impacts device users but also legitimate advertisers and developers as hackers manipulate the system to allow their infected ads. Google emphasized that ad fraud, which involves deceiving ad networks into believing traffic is genuine user interest, produces invalid traffic. This practice harms advertisers, developers, and users, eroding trust in the mobile ads ecosystem over time.
Android users are urged to act promptly by removing any flagged apps to secure their devices from potential threats.