Govt sounds alarm as Facebook, Instagram ads target banking passwords, phones
The Indian government has issued a warning regarding malicious Android apps disguised as pornography that are being advertised on Facebook and Instagram. These apps can steal banking credentials and take control of user devices.
Why it matters
This highlights a growing cybersecurity threat where social media platforms are being used as vectors for financial fraud and device compromise.
The government has warned of malicious porn apps on Instagram and Facebook that can completely take over Android phones. In an advisory, National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU) said that it has observed a rise in financial frauds perpetrated through malicious Android apps masquerading as pornography apps, circulated through Facebook and Instagram ads. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs advisory, these Android apps are operating under the names "Night Play", "Reloop", "Kyss", “Vimo”, “Rivo”, “Nexo”, “Vixa” and other similar variants.These apps are primarily distributed through advertisements on Facebook and Instagram, which redirect to websites and apps showing pornographic content, where the user is prompted to download an APK file. After installation, the app requests permissions that allow it to install additional apps and by misusing accessibility permission, take control of the users’ device.
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